Just Friends
by PinkLily
Summary: COMPLETED!Lily and James are now friends in their 7th year, and they're falling in love. How can such a perfect love have so many flaws in it? On top of it, there's an evil at Hogwarts. Can their love conquer all?
1. Meet the Evans Family

> > It was a cool summer night and Lily Evans stayed awake in bed, thinking about what will happen 2 weeks from now. She misses Hogwarts, the exciting quidditch matches, wonderful charms, and most of all, her friends. Even though her parents loved her dearly, she could not find peace with Petunia, her younger sister consumed with jealousy. 
>> 
>> As she looked out the window at the full moon, she was reminded of the full moon at Hogwarts. Every month when the full moon arrives, she would stay awake and look outside for a sign of a stag. A beautiful, handsome, mysterious stag that had carried her dreams away at night. She wondered about the strange animal because it seemed familiar. She couldn't put her finger on it but it seemed so familiar. As her thoughts wandered off at this, she slowly dozed off until she awoke again to the sound of a backfiring engine.
>> 
>> "What do you think you're doing, making such loud noises this early in the morning?" A voice came from outside.
>> 
>> "I'm sorry Mrs. Dursley but Lily is going off to school today and we had to make sure the car was okay." said Mrs. Evans.
>> 
>> "Well good, send her off then. I can see why you're sending the poor brat off to boarding school, I would too if I had such a strange child. Now that petunia, she'll turn out well." Mrs. Dursley went inside at the sight of her son Vernon at the front door.
>> 
>> "We really ought to get this thing fixed." Mr. Evans spoke from under the hood.
>> 
>> "We can afford to, you know that." Mrs. Evans said depressingly.
>> 
>> "We should be fine for today. All that matters is the Lily gets to school safely."
>> 
>> When Lily came down to breakfast, she lugged her trunk down to the front door, and sat at the table and ate a piece of toast.
>> 
>> "Go ahead honey, eat some more, you'll need your energy." Mrs. Evans said sweetly.
>> 
>> "No it's okay, I want to save some for you and dad. I'll be fine; I'm really full, really." Lily lied, knowing her family could barely afford a decent night out, one other reason she can't wait to go back to Hogwarts. At Hogwarts, Lily had many friends. She was head girl this year, and very popular. She had the life she had always dreamed of, everything was perfect. This year, was the last year, what would happen after she leaves Hogwarts? What would happen between her and her friends?
>> 
>> But that doesn't matter because this was hardly the time to be thinking about something so far away. Lily had more important things to think about, like getting to King's Cross Station on time with the piece of junk the Evans' refer to as the car.
>> 
>> (a/n if I made any mistakes in this chapter or the upcoming chapters, please email me (go to my email address) instead of putting it in the reviews.)


	2. Greetings on the Train

Lily Evans had just said goodbye to her family and went aboard the Hogwarts Express. In front of her she could see Ruth, and rushed up to say hi.  
  
"Ruth, how are you?"  
  
"Lily, how good to see you. Finally, it's been a long summer. Why didn't you write?"  
  
"I did write. Did you not get them?"  
  
"No I didn't. Isn't that strange?"  
  
"Yes it is."  
  
"I think I've found a space." Ruth said as she led Lily into the very last compartment.  
  
Lily was never so glad to see a familiar face, spending the whole summer studying for the NEWTs. "How was your summer?" She asked.  
  
"It was fantastic, absolutely marvelous. How was yours?" Ruth asked.  
  
Lily was about to answer when the door slid open. Standing in the doorway was James Potter and his gang of Marauders Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew.  
  
James Potter and Lily had an odd history and relationship. Before the end of last year, she had completely hated him. In her opinion, he was arrogant, big-headed, shallow, and everything she despised. But last year, he had changed for some odd reason, and now, they were perfectly good friends.  
  
"Good afternoon ladies, mind if we join you?" He said.  
  
"No, of course not." Lily moved over to give them space to sit.  
  
When he sat down next to her, she noticed his Head Boy badge. "I see you've been made head boy. Congratulations." Lily said.  
  
"Thank you, I see you've been made head girl. Congratulations to you also." James smiled.  
  
"Oh that reminds me. You all remember my sister Jia don't you? She's in the 5th year and has just been made a prefect." Ruth said to Lily.  
  
"Oh that's fantastic news," Lily said. "I think I ought to go and congratulate her." With that, Lily and Ruth left to go find Jia. When they had closed the door, James sat staring at it for a while.  
  
"What's wrong with you my friend?" asked Remus.  
  
"Oh, nothing." James said as he snapped back.  
  
That was a lie. James had been thinking of Lily all summer. For some reason, her red hair, brilliant green eyes, and sparkling smile had been on his mind for ever. Was he in love with her? No he couldn't be, he thought. There were so many reasons for him not to love her. They were friends; it would be crazy for him to be in love with her. Plus, Lily only thinks of him as a friend, it would be horrible to be rejected. What if it doesn't work out? Their friendship would be ruined forever. James shook his head. This was hardly the time to be thinking about Lily Evans. The train was quickly approaching Hogwarts, and a new year was beginning.  
  
(Thanks to all the reviewers. I made them friends even thought I knew she disliked him. Because of the confusion, I edited it. In the first version of this chapter, they've always been friends. Now they are still friends, but Lily used to hate James, but they've become friends. If you didn't read the first version, ignore this.) 


	3. Exciting News

> Lily, James, Ruth, Sirius, Remus, and Peter entered the great hall together for their first meal back. After the sorting ceremony and a few more Gryffindors joined the table, Dumbledore got up for his speech.
> 
> "I would like to welcome everyone back for another year at Hogwarts. I would like to introduce our new head girl Lily Evans, and our new head boy James Potter. They will assist me in supervising activities at the school. Mr. Filch, our caretaker has put up a new list of forbidden items, be sure to check it outside his office.
> 
> "On a more exciting note, we will have a visit this year from Beauxbatons. Beauxbatons is also a wizarding school, as some of you may know. They will be with us for a month in January, and will end their visit with a farewell Ball."
> 
> No sooner has Dumbledore said the word "ball" and half the girls in the great hall became consumed with the giggles. Many looked over at James, who had grown quite handsome over the summer.
> 
> "Without furthur adieu, lets eat." Dumbledore finnished and held his glass up as a sign to start eating.
> 
> Ruth seemed to be very excited about the ball, much more than Lily.
> 
> "Well, what do you think Lily?" Ruth said. "How exciting a ball. Who would you go with?"
> 
> "I guess I haven't thought about that..." Lily replied.
> 
> "What about James?" "
> 
> James? James Potter? I dont think so."
> 
> "Why not? He's quite good looking don't you think so. Plus, I see the way he looks at you, I can tell he's nuts about you. Why wouldn't he be?"
> 
> Ruth could see a small smile on Lily's face.
> 
> "You really think so?" Lily was doubtful. "No, it'll be too weird. We're just friends, that's all we are."
> 
> "Sure..." Lily couldn't fool Ruth, she knew that Lily didn't think of James as "just a friend". "We'll see."
> 
> Meanwhile, the guys were having the same conversation.
> 
> "What do you think James?" asked Remus. "Going to ask someone?"
> 
> "I dunno. Maybe." He replied.
> 
> "What about Lily?" Sirius jumped in.
> 
> "Lily? What about Lily?" James said, blushing just a little.
> 
> "You could ask her." Sirius said. "Why not, she's pretty, and I'm sure she'll say yes."
> 
> "I'm not so sure about that." James said.
> 
> "I think she might." Remus said. "The whole school sees it. You like her and she likes you. I'm still waiting for the day you two will get together."
> 
> "You two should stop worrying about my love life." James said quickly. "Try the chicken its quite good." He stuffed a drumstick in Remus's mouth and no one said another word for the rest of dinner.


	4. Something to Think About

> > After dinner, Lily and James gathered up the prefects, and led the first years to the Gryffindor dormitory.
>> 
>> "Password?" Said the fat lady, whose portrait was the door to the common room.
>> 
>> "Lemon Drops." James replied, and the portrait swung forward to reveal the cozy Gryffindor common room.
>> 
>> "Girls to the right, boys to the left." Lily directed them. No sooner than five minutes have passed when the first years emptied into their rooms, leaving Lily and James to be the last ones remaining in the common room.
>> 
>> "You're not going to bed?" James asked her, taking a seat next to her in front of the fire.
>> 
>> "No not just yet. I think I'll just sit by the fire and think."
>> 
>> "Its kind of chilly tonight isn't it? Got a lot on your mind?"
>> 
>> "Mostly the NEWTs. I'm real nervous about it. Aren't you?"
>> 
>> "Not really. My parents have helped me loads. They did very well, so they tutored me some over break."
>> 
>> "Really?" At this news, Lily sat up and started paying more attention. "I wish I had someone to pass their wisdom on to me."
>> 
>> "I could help you." James said, knowing this was an oppertunity to get closer to Lily.
>> 
>> "Oh could you? That would be great."
>> 
>> "Of course, anything for you. When would you like to start?"
>> 
>> "um...now if you don't mind."
>> 
>> "Now? You are serious about this aren't you?"
>> 
>> "Well I guess it is a little late isn't it..."
>> 
>> "How about one little tip?"
>> 
>> Lily smiled, which James took as a "yes".
>> 
>> "The trick is to relax. Don't try too hard, just do your best. I know it sounds cliched, but it's the truth. You have to focus on the subject, and really put your heart into it." As he said this, he looked into her eyes as she looked into his. "And..." he leaned forward a little bit wanting desperatly to kiss her.
>> 
>> They just sat and looked at each other for a while until the grandfather clock chimed 12.
>> 
>> "Oh my, I didn't realize how late it's gotten." Lily sat up suddenly "Thank you. Good night." And she walked off to her room.
>> 
>> "Good night Lily." James said quietly to himself. He didn't go to bed until 2 in the morning because he had sat there thinking. "did she like me?", "why didn't I just kiss her?". So many thoughts went through his head until he realized again what he had realized on the train. It was impossible for him to love her, they were just friends, and that was it.
>> 
>> Meanwhile, Lily was sitting by the window, thinking the same things. She wondered what the feeling in the pit of her stomach was. She had never felt this before. She knew she had to rest, so she climbed back into bed and her thoughts dozed off to the full moon, when she saw a beautiful white stage running around on the grounds. Its mystery always made her fall asleep thinking about it.


	5. Lily's New Friend

> "Lily. Wake up we'll be late."
> 
> Lily tried hard to open her eyes, and when she finally did, she saw Ruth standing over her, all dressed. Then she looked out the window at the sun which was shining bright.
> 
> "What time is it?" Lily asked.
> 
> "Time to go to herbology." Ruth went to the foot of Lily's bed and threw her robes at her. "Get ready, we have 10 minutes. I brought you some breakfast, eat it quick. I'll wait for you in the common room."
> 
> "Alright, I'll be right down." Lily mumbled as she struggled to wake herself up. How could she have overslept? And on the first day of classes. This was not a good way to begin her day, after all, she has never been late to class, not once in the past six years.
> 
> When she got down to the common room, she saw that Ruth was gone but left her a note. _Sorry I had to leave you, but I really didn't want to be late. I'll explain it to Professor Sprout. Please forgive me. Ruth. _FANTSTIC! Lily thought, first she wakes up late, and now her best friend abandons her. She grabbed her books quickly and hurried down the hall. She was so worried about being late that she didn't notice a Ravenclaw coming from around the corner and...CRASH!
> 
> "Oh my goodness, I am so sorry, I was afraid I'd be late are you..." Lily looked up and saw a boy she's never seen before, a boy with captivating blue eyes. "really cute" she finnished softly.
> 
> "Excuse me?" He said.
> 
> "Uh..I mean, alright. Are you alright there?" Lily helped him pick up his books.
> 
> "Yes I'm fine, I was just heading down to herbology, afraid I'll be late." He answered.
> 
> "I was just heading down there." Lily said as she and the boy headed down towards the green house.
> 
> "I'm Zachary Rowley by the way. You can call me Zach." The boy said. "You're Lily Evans aren't you? The new head girl."
> 
> "Yes, yes I am." Lily answered, surprised that he knew her name.
> 
> "Nice to meet you." Zach put his hand out for her to shake it. She took it and held on for a bit.
> 
> "Right then." He said, trying to free his hand.
> 
> "Sorry." Lily laughed.
> 
> "So...are you any good at herbology?" He said, trying to start a conversation since it would be a while until they got to the greenhouses.
> 
> "I'm alright. Its charms that I'm really good at. I think they're the most useful of all spells."
> 
> "Really? I've always found charms to be quite interesting. It's always been my favorite subject."
> 
> "What a coincidence."
> 
> As they continued down to the greenhouses, Lily and Zach talked more and more about charms. By the time that the young Professor Sprout had finnished yelling at them for being late, and taking seats at opposite ends of the room, Lily had completely forgotten about James Potter, even thought he was sitting only a few seats away.
> 
> "Who was that you just came in with?" Ruth asked, surprised at the smile on Lily's face.
> 
> "Oh no one. Just a Ravenclaw. I met him when I was coming down. He's really nice, and we have a lot in common. Quite good looking too eh?" Lily said.
> 
> "Right." Ruth answered, being very confused because only a day ago, Lily seemed completely interested in James. "What about James?"
> 
> "Who?" It was obvious Lily was paying no attention to Ruth, or that she was completely clueless, which is unlikely since Lily always have a clue about what was going on.
> 
> "Nevermind." Ruth said as she started preparing to squeeze the juice out of the flowerpuss, a new plant they were studying.
> 
> Meanwhile, James had also noticed Lily's unusual behavior, and had overheard her conversation with Ruth. _Now what do I do? I knew she'd never like me. It was crazy for me to think that Lily Evans and I would ever get together. Do I love her? No of course not. I don't love her shiny red hair or her sparkling green eyes or her..._
> 
> "James watch out." Sirius had put his hand in front of James's eye to block the puss from the flowerpuss. "Pay attention, this juice can have you blind for a day. What were you thinking about? You practically strangled the poor plant."
> 
> "Nothing...abosolutely nothing..." James decided to concentrate on saving his eyesight, and less on Lily. For the rest of the day, he was able to keep her off his mind.


	6. Surprising Changes

> The weeks went by fast without a single word being passed between Lily and James. However, Lily has been spending more and more time with the boy from Ravenclaw. Ruth has noticed a definate change in her best friend. For one thing, she hardly ever saw Lily without a smile on her face, and Lily was focusing on Charms more. Althought Charms has always been Lily's favorite subject, Lily was also interested in everyother class. Now it seems the only classes she really paid attention to in was any classes they had with the Ravenclaws.
> 
> Ruth was also good friends with James, and she's noticed a change in him also. He seems very depressed lately for no aparent reason. She knew that something was wrong, so she decided to have a private meeting with Remus and Sirius, the two people who knew James the best.
> 
> "I know there's something wrong with him. There's something wrong with Lily too." She said.
> 
> "Yes, and I wonder what that could be." Sirius said sarcastically.
> 
> "Love." Remus added.
> 
> "Of course." Sirius said. "Can't you see? Lily is in love with that Ravenclaw bloke, and James is in love with Lily. Since Lily is absolutely giddy over Zachary, James is jealous."
> 
> "Jealousy's ugly end...Poor Prongs." Remus said.
> 
> "Who?" Ruth has never heard of anyone named Prongs.
> 
> "No one." Sirius said quickly. "Don't worry about James. He'll be fine."
> 
> "Well it's not just him I'm worried about. Lily hasn't been her usual self lately either." Ruth said.
> 
> Remus was getting bored of this meeting, so he decided to end it quickly. "Listen to me Ruth. Don't worry about James, and don't worry about Lily. You know them, the whole school sees it. Sure, Lily likes Zach, but its fate! Lily and James are MEANT TO BE TOGETHER...it's their DESTINY. Buh bye now." Remus and Sirius left the common room and went down to serve dententions for the destruction of a certain broom in the display case.
> 
> "You're absolutely right." Ruth said happily. "They ARE meant to be together aren't they?" _You've been silly Ruth, stop worrying. Get it out of your mind. Find something else to do. Since you've finnished your homework, why don't you go check when the next hogsmead weekend is?_ Ruth thought to herself. Then she went out to see when the next hogsmead visit is.
> 
> As soon as Ruth left, Lily and James came down the stairwell at the same time.
> 
> "I could have sworn I heard Ruth down here." Lily said, when she saw James.
> 
> "I was just looking for Remus and Sirius." Said James. "Have you seen them?"
> 
> "No I'm afraid not."
> 
> "So, how have you been? Havn't talked to you in a while."
> 
> "Great, I've been just great...actually no I havn't been so great."
> 
> "Why what's wrong?"
> 
> "I've been doing real bad in Defense Against the Dark Arts."
> 
> "Oh...well that's not good. If you ever need help..."
> 
> "Oh that'd be great. You were always good in that right?"
> 
> "Well...I guess, if you say so."
> 
> They exchaged smiles as Ruth came back in.
> 
> "There you are." She said. "I was just looking for you guys. By the way, the next Hogsmead visit is in two weeks. Boy I'm starving, I'll meet you down in the great hall."
> 
> They waved goodbye as James said. "So I guess you'll be going with Zach?"
> 
> "I think so yes." Said Lily, surprised at his question.
> 
> "Alright, if you want to go with old big ears." He said scornfully.
> 
> Lily was very surprised at him now. Sure his ears were a bit bigger than most people, but that was no reason to dislike him. "Excuse me, Zach happens to be a very nice person. He would never make fun of someone by the way they look, he's not so shallow." She stormed out with an angry look.
> 
> James realized that he had upset Lily, but he was so angry at Zach that he didn't really care.


	7. Old Feelings and Old Memories

That night, Lily couldn't sleep. Sure she was over the little feeling she had for James at the beginning of the year, but she can't leave things bad between the two of them. After all, he was head boy and she was head girl, it would set a band example. But that's not really why she wanted to make up with him. She couldn't stand things being back to the way it was before, like in the fifth year. She knew she had to do something about it.

She didn't want to talk to him at the wrong time, but she couldn't seem to find the right time either. It seemed that James had become quite popular among the girls, just like Sirius had been. Now she hardly sees him without Sirius and a bunch of girls. The right time finally came on the Friday before the weekend at Hogsmead. It was late in the common room, but James had just gotten in from Quidditch practice, but when he saw Lily sitting by herself, he couldn't help but walk over.

"Are you alright there Evans?"

"I'm fine…did you just call me Evans?" She heard him call her by her last name, and was reminded of two years ago.

"Yes, I mean, no I mean…maybe." He also noticed the slip. "Why?"

"Well nothing. It's just that, you haven't called me Evans in a while. Like in the 5th year for example. Do you remember? When you put the hex on Snevillus by the lake?"

"How can I forget? I had asked you out for the thousandth time and you made it clear to me you wanted nothing to do with me for the thousandth time." James couldn't help but laugh a little at the old days.

Lily laughed as well and said "James, I'm sorry for what I said about you the other day. It was unfair. You're not that person anymore, well at least not really. I just don't want things to go back to the way it used to be. I want to be friends with you and not have to worry about what James Potter is going to do to try and impress me. No offense, but you really got on my nerves back then. I like things they are now, as friends. Now that you've gotten over your feelings for me, we can finally do that. I don't want anyone else to get in between us."

"I don't either." The truth is, he has gotten over her, but only for a while. Lately, that feeling has come back and they're stronger than ever. "Lily, I have to tell you something." He said.

"Yes?" She looked at him like she knew what was coming.

He wanted to tell her so badly that he was still in love with her, but couldn't bear to hurt her like he did before. Instead, he just said "have fun tomorrow."

She was a little disappointed because a part of her really wanted him to say something else. To hide her disappointment, she said "You too." And they both went to their separate rooms.

This was a reference to Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Read the chapter "Snape's Worst Memory" for more details.


	8. Two Toasts

> > The first Hogsmead visit was here, and Lily met Zach in Madame Puddifoot's. They chose this spot because 1, it is less crowded than The Three Broomsticks, and 2, it was the place for couples, even thought they weren't officially a couple...yet.  
  
"Lily, can I ask you something?" said Zach after they ordered.  
  
"Sure, go ahead."  
  
"Well, um...I don't know if you know this, but there's going to be a costume ball on Halloween."  
  
"Yes..." Lily had just remembered Dumbledore announcing a ball on Halloween in order to prepare for the ball with the French students.  
  
"Well I was wondering if, if, you know, you would want to go...with me." He struggled to get the few words out.  
  
Lily knew this was coming, but she didn't expect him to ask this soon. After all, they don't know each other all that well. But since she didn't have a date yet, she said "Sure why not. I'd love to."  
  
Zach had been looking nervous, but was very glad she said yes. "Well great." The drinks had just arrived and he said "A toast, to the most beautiful girl in the 7th year."
>> 
>> Just then, the Marauders walked by the window, and James saw Lily and Zachary sitting together, looking very cozy. This triggered a nerve, and he quickly went into The Three Broomsticks.
>> 
>> "Four butterbeers please." James said to the waiter, and then to the group "I don't know what she sees in him."
>> 
>> "Who Lily?" Sirius asked.
>> 
>> "Yes Lily." James answered.
>> 
>> "Well...he's not you." Remus joked.
>> 
>> "Whats that suppose to mean?"
>> 
>> Sirius jumped in again. "He just means that you and Lily, well you weren't exactly friends before were you?"
>> 
>> "That's changed." James said. "She said so herself that we're friends."
>> 
>> "When?" The two asked.
>> 
>> "Well...I don't remember, maybe she did, maybe she didn't, but she has no reason to hate me anymore does she?"
>> 
>> "No, of course not." Sirius said.
>> 
>> James wanted to quickly change the subject, so he said. "Who are you all planning to take?"
>> 
>> "I haven't decided." Sirius said.
>> 
>> "I think I'll ask Ruth." Remus said.
>> 
>> "Ruth. Ruth White? Lily's friend?" James asked.
>> 
>> "She's our friend too you know." Remus replied.
>> 
>> "I think I'll ask her sister, Jia." Peter said.
>> 
>> "The fifth year?" Sirius asked.
>> 
>> "What's wrong with that?" Peter asked him.
>> 
>> "Nothing. Honestly. At least she'll be your height." Sirius laughed, and James and Remus joined in. Peter, however, did not find this so funny.
>> 
>> "Girls, they're complicated things." James said, shaking his head.
>> 
>> "What about you Prongs?" Sirius said. "You haven't told us who you're going to take yet."
>> 
>> "I haven't decided yet either." He answered.
>> 
>> "Well great, if neither of us finds a date, then we'll be the pathetic losers that don't have dates." Sirius laughed.
>> 
>> "Yup, like you always were." Remus joked.
>> 
>> "Oh I'm sure you'll find dates." Peter jumped in. "I've heard girls whispering about you two. Ask any girl, and they'll say yes, even if they already have dates."
>> 
>> "Ah...it's good to be together again, the marauders." James said as their butterbeers arrived. "Cheers. To the four pathetic losers."
>> 
>> "Cheers" The other three said.
>> 
>> No amount of fun with his friends could make up for seeing Lily with anyone other than himself, but he wasn't about to let his friends know that.


	9. Nonbeliever

> "So...what happened?" Ruth was very excited to see Lily knowing she spent the day with Zach Rowley, that the first thing she did when they got back to the common room was ask about what happend. "Tell me everything." 
> 
> "Not much to tell...except he ask me to go to the Costume Ball."
> 
> "The one on Halloween?"
> 
> "Well there's no other costume ball is there?"
> 
> "So..."
> 
> "So what?"
> 
> "Did you say yes?"
> 
> "Well...I mean I had no reason to say no..."
> 
> "Oh..." Ruth got a weird look on her face after hearing Lily's answer.
> 
> "Should I have said no?"
> 
> "No, I mean, there's nothing wrong with him. It's just that..."
> 
> "It's just that what?"
> 
> "What about James?"
> 
> "Ruth...we've been over this. James and I are just friends. He doesn't have feelings for me."
> 
> "Right...that's what you think." Ruth mumbled quietly.
> 
> "What does that mean?"
> 
> "Don't be nieve Lily, the whole school sees it, why don't you? James is crazy about you."
> 
> "Oh Ruth, don't be silly. I can assure you that he no longer has feelings for me."
> 
> "How do you know?"
> 
> "Well for one, he's not acting like a complete idiot anymore is he."
> 
> "Maybe...he realizes that you'll never like him if he keeps making you mad."
> 
> "Either way...there's nothing between us. James Potter does NOT love me." Lily's confidence in the words she just said quickly died away. She began thinking about the first night back at school, at the jealousy he had shown towards Zach, and their talk the night before. "Ruth, what do you know? Does he still love me?"
> 
> "I don't know anything, I can only assume. I can feel it, he loves you."
> 
> "NO! YOU'RE WRONG. I'M NOT IN LOVE WITH JAMES POTTER!"
> 
> Ruth noticed a slip in what Lily had just said. "I never said you were...."
> 
> "What? No of course not, no. I mean... I meant to say... that he doesn't... love... me..." Lily quickly tried to take back what she said, and turned around immediatly to exit the common room.
> 
> "Lily, wait." Ruth rushed after her and stopped her right before she got ready to go upstairs. "You love him, don't you? I KNEW IT!"
> 
> "No I don't. He's my friend."
> 
> "So...what's wrong with that?"
> 
> "Well what if it doesn't work out? It could ruin our friendship. How many people remain friends after they've broken up? I can't bare to hate him again. That'll just put more pressure on me especially with the NEWTs coming up." Lily's attempt to change the subject didn't work, not with Ruth who was a stubborn as she was.
> 
> "Lily...you two are meant to be together. It's fate, it's DESTINY. You don't mess with fate. You, of anyone, should know that. After all, fate brought you from a muggle family to Hogwarts. And now fate has led you to James Potter."
> 
> "Did fate bring Voldemort into the world?"
> 
> Ruth was shocked at the sudden mention of the dark lord's name. "I told you, don't say that name!"
> 
> "After all the horrible things the world has seen, there's not much I believe in right now, especially not love. All I know is that I have to go to bed, and that Zachary Rowley is the person I want to go the the Halloween Ball with." She started up the stairs but turned around only to say "Good night Ruth."
> 
> Ruth just stood there for a moment and said quietly to herself. "Some day Lily Evans, I'll make you believe. You'll believe in love, and I know just the person who will make you believe." She sat down with a quill and parchment, and started writing a letter.


	10. Letters

> Halloween was coming near, and in just 2 days, everyone in Hogwarts would be dressed up as a muggle, a fairy, an ogre, or even a used broom salesman. The atmosphere could not be more, in James's oppinion, frustrating. There were giggling girls every corner he turned. They were either giggling because they'd just been asked out, or giggling because they were waiting to be asked out, or giggling because the person they were waiting to be asked out by almost asked them out, or that person didn't have a date yet. Even the concept of asking a girl out was confusing.
> 
> "What do you reckon Sirius?" James asked as they sat down in the Great Hall for Breakfast that day.
> 
> "I think I'll take Gretchen." He smiled.
> 
> "What happened to Hannah?" James asked.
> 
> "Oh Hannah? She's old news. I dumped her for Marleen."
> 
> "So what happened to Marleen?"
> 
> "She talks too much, so I figured I'd ask Gretchen. She hardly ever talks right?"
> 
> "Sirius...she's a mute." James laughed a little at Sirius's ignorance. Sirius laughed too.
> 
> "Oh...well...then I think I'll ask Kate."
> 
> "Good choice."
> 
> "And you? I see lots of girls have been interested in you Prongs, the quidditch star."
> 
> "Um...well..." James was about to answer when the mail came in. An old looking barn owl dropped a small envelope in front of him.
> 
> "What is it?" Sirius asked while eating his bread.
> 
> "Nothing...just a letter from mum." James lied because it was addressed to "My Dear James" and didn't want Sirius teasing him of the fact he had recieved a love letter.
> 
> "Oh that's great. When you reply, tell her again how thankful I am of her and Mr. Potter letting me stay at their lovely home, and I hope her ankle gets better." When Sirius was 16, he ran away from home and the Potters took him in as a second son.
> 
> "Right...I'm full, so I think I'll go take a walk."
> 
> He went outside so that he could read the letter in peace. The letter, written in very neat and girly handwriting, went like this:
> 
> _Dearest James,_
> 
> _There are so many things that I'd like to say to you, but can't in one letter. Ever since I saw you in the first year for the very first time, I knew there was something special about you, and that you were the one for me. What I'm trying to say is that I love you. I have always loved you but hid my true feelings afraid of being hurt. Now I realize that you are not that kind of person anymore, and that you would never hurt me. I want to know how you feel about me. Meet me by the lake under the old oak tree right after the Halloween ball. I'll be the one with the book in case there happens to be more than just one girl there that night. If you don't show up, then I'll know how you really feel. _
> 
> _Love,_
> 
> _A friend who wants more than just friendship. _
> 
> It was Lily, of course. It couldn't be anyone other than Lily. James felt so happy after the letter, that for the rest of the day, he sat under the oak tree and thought about what he would say to her.
> 
> * * *
> 
> Lily was walking up the stairs to the dormitory when the same old barn owl landed next to her with a letter similar to the one that James had gotten, only shorter. She opened it immediatly and read it to Ruth, who was already in their room.
> 
> "_Dear Lily,_
> 
> _How can I express all that I want to express in just one letter? I can't so I have to tell you in person. I need to let you know my true feelings, and I need to know yours. Meet my by the lake under the old oak tree after the Ball on Halloween._
> 
> _Love_
> 
> _your secret admirer."_
> 
> "Who do you think it is?" Lily asked Ruth. "Don't say James."
> 
> "Who else do you think it is?"
> 
> "I dunno. Maybe it's someone you wouldn't expect. After all they signed 'secret' admirer."
> 
> "Maybe..." Ruth said, knowing that Lily knew it was really James. "Well I suggest bringing some sort of weapon, not an obvious weapon, but a weapon in case he's someone ugly, like Greasy-Haired Sam."
> 
> "Good idea." Lily decided she would bring A Midsummer Night's Dream, her favorite Muggle book.


	11. The Halloween Ball

> Halloween was finally here. The school was decorated in orange and black, and the great hall was filled with jack-o-lanterns and pumpkins. All the girls were getting ready, some as early as 10 in the morning. The dance started at 8, and ended at 11. Ruth was dressed as a fairy, her sister Jia was dressed as a muggle witch (the ones with the pointy hats and pointy noses) and Lily dressed as Titiania, her favorite character in her favorite book.
> 
> Lily's costume was green, which brought out her eyes, with gold trim. She finnished it off with a pearl necklace, and left her long flowy hair down. Kate Browning, Sirius's date, was in Ruth and Lily's room, so the three got ready together along with Jia.
> 
> "Must be exciting, going to the ball with James Potter." Kate said to Lily.
> 
> "I'm not going with James Potter." Lily said, wondering why Kate would assume she was going with him.
> 
> "Oh I'm sorry, I just thought..."
> 
> "No it's ok. I'm going with Zachary Rowley. He's in Ravenclaw." Lily said to her.
> 
> "Oh..." Kate said quietly.
> 
> "What's wrong?" Lily noticed Kate's face fell.
> 
> "We used to date, last year." Kate said.
> 
> "I didn't know that." Lily said.
> 
> "Of course you wouldn't. He ignored me a lot when we were dating. Never even said 'hello' to me in the hallways when he was with his friends. He was quite ignorant of my feelings, and always looked at other girls. Please don't mind me for saying this, but he's a real jerk. Big headed snob." Kate looked very sincere.
> 
> "I don't mind." Lily said, and kept on brushing her hair. 'Why would Kate say he's a jerk. Hes never done anything wrong. Maybe he's changed. People change. After all, if James Potter can stop being a jerk, anyone can.' She ignored what Kate said, and the four went downstairs to meet their dates.
> 
> "Ruth." Remus was happy to see her, and gave her a little hug.
> 
> "You look lovely Kate." Said Sirius to his date.
> 
> Peter didn't say anything to Jia, he only smiled. The only reason that Jia agreed to be his date was because she didn't have enough time to find anyone else.
> 
> "Lily, you look...stunning." James said, even though he wasn't her date.
> 
> "Thank you." She replied. "And you're suppose to be..."
> 
> "A prince, prince charming." He replied.
> 
> "Why aren't you dressed like a pirate like the rest of the marauders are?" She asked him.
> 
> "Because he was too modest for a joke like this. We're marauders, get it? Pirates..." Sirius answered for him. Everyone laughed except for James and Lily.
> 
> "Where are you meeting Zach?" asked Ruth?
> 
> "In the great hall." Lily replied, and the eight of them left for the ball together.
> 
> When they got down to the ball, most people had already started dancing. To her surprise, Zach already had a drink in his hand and was talking to another girl. Lily went over to him to say 'hi', but started to remember what Kate had told her earlier.
> 
> "So what are you suppose to be?" Lily asked him.
> 
> "I'm a muggle. Can't you tell?" Zach was wearing a ridiculous outfit with baggy shorts, a golf shirt, and an overly large polka dotted tie. "These muggles are hilarious creatures."
> 
> Lily was hurt by his attitude towards muggles. "I'm muggle born you know!" She screamed at him.
> 
> "You are? No...someone as good looking as you?" Zach laughed. "Muggles are all stupid and ugly."
> 
> "No they're not. I can't believe you! That's it, we are no longer going out!" Lily picked up a glass of punch and splashed it in his face.
> 
> "Fine! We're OVER!" He yelled as she ran out of the great hall.
> 
> Kate was the first to run after her, since she was watching the two of them. "Are you alright?" She asked.
> 
> "Yes I'm fine." Lily said, sniffling a little. "You were right, he is a jerk."
> 
> "Well it won't take you long to get over him." Kate smiled. "Trust me. It only took me three seconds before I realized what I was definatly NOT missing."
> 
> "Thanks Kate. You're a good friend."
> 
> "Why don't we go back in. I'm sure there's someone who would dance with you."
> 
> When they got back in, Lily sat down next to James.
> 
> "Are you okay?" He asked.
> 
> "Yes, I'm fine. At least I will be." She replied.
> 
> "I'm really sorry about him."
> 
> "No it's okay. You were right. I mean, you did warn me...sort of." She laughed.
> 
> "Lily...um..."
> 
> "Yes?"
> 
> "Would you like...to dance...with...me?" He hesitated.
> 
> Lily thought for a while and said "I would love to."
> 
> They got onto the dance floor as a slow song came on. She put her hands on his shoulders, and he put his hands on her back.
> 
> "You don't know how to slow dance do you?" She said, laughing a little.
> 
> "No I'm afraid I dont."
> 
> "It's ok I'll teach you. All you have to do is relax, it'll come naturally."
> 
> "Like this?" He tried.
> 
> "Yes. Now your hands, they're too high." She said
> 
> He slowly lowered them so it was right on her waist.
> 
> "That's right." She smiled.
> 
> They danced and danced the rest of the night. It was the first time she could just relax and be herself. It was like he carried her away to some faraway land where she could just be free. She knew it then that she had fallen in love.
> 
> When the dance ended, they found that they had danced the whole way through.
> 
> "I have to go." Lily said, remembering that she had to meet a secret admirer soon.
> 
> "Me too." He said and they both went their seperate ways.
> 
> Going out of the great hall, Lily said to Ruth. "I don't think I can do it."
> 
> "Go ahead." Ruth said.
> 
> "But...I don't think I can even talk to anyone else right now." Lily said, knowing the only person she wanted to see under the tree was James.
> 
> "I don't think you're going to be disappointed to see who you're meeting." Ruth said.
> 
> "What..why do you..."
> 
> "Just go." Ruth cut her off. Lily hurried down to the lake, and saw that her admirer had not arrived yet, so she sat and started reading her book. After all, what better way to pass the time then to read about the dispute between Oberone and Titania.
> 
> Oberone and Titiania are two characters from William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. References to the play does NOT belong to me. I have no ownership of anything out of the play. I'm just using it in the plot of my fan fic.


	12. By Moonlight

The moon had come out of the clouds, and it was almost full. It's reflection glistened elegantly in the black late. A soft breeze passed through Lily's hair as a voice came from behind her.

"Ah...A Midsummer Night's Dream. 'Ill met by moonlight, proud Titania.'"

Lily turned around, and saw James Potter, still in his costume, just like she was still in her costume.

"You know the story?" She was touched by his knowledge of a muggle play.

"Of course. After five or six years of asking you out, you don't think I wouldn't know anything about you..." He smiled.

She smiled back at him. "ironic isn't it?"

"What?"

" 'Ill met by moon light, proud Titania.' Here I am, dressed as Titania, and there you are looking like the fairy king. "

"You mean Oberone. Of course, who else to be your match?"

" 'And I must be thy lady.' ha.."

"You are proud."

"Maybe...but I would hardly call this meeting 'ill met' "

"I knew it was you from the moment I read your letter." James started to say.

"Wait what? What letter." Lily was confused.

"The letter you sent me..." James said, surprised at her reaction.

"I never sent you a letter. You sent me a letter." Lily said. "This letter." She pulled it out.

James pulled out his letter for her to read.

"I'll be reading a book." Lily read. "Ruth."

"Ruth? You think Ruth did this." James asked.

"Of course. She's always been the little match maker." Lily laughed. "Well since she pulled this little 'prank' on us. I think I'd better go. Wouldn't want to catch a cold." She turned around to leave.

James saw that she left her book by the water so he picked it up and said. "Wait, your book."

She turned around and reached for it. As she put her hand out, he took it and pulled her in close to him.

"I can't pretend anymore Lily, I'm still in love with you." He whispered. Then he pulled her in and kissed her.

"You're crazy, you know that?" She was almost in tears, but they were tears of joy.

"I am crazy...crazy in love with you." He said.

She looked in his eyes, the first time she's really looked in his eyes. She felt like she could melt in his hazel eyes, but instead pulled away.

"We can't do this James."

"Why not?"

"What if it doesn't work out? I've been killing my self at the thought that if we broke up, we would never be friends again."

"We'll take a chance. 'The course of true love never did run smooth' " He quoted shakespeare again.

She laughed a little, and now she really was in tears.

"What's that old saying? Its better to have loved and lost then to never have loved at all right? Every time I see you my heart breaks at the thought that we can never be together. This is our chance. Take it." He was now speaking with excitement and passion. "If you don't take a risk, you might spend the rest of your life wondering what would have happend. I know that's what'll happen to me. I'm going to be wondering for the rest of my life if you EVER loved me back. Tell me now, how do you feel about me?"

Lily looked him straight in the eyes and said. "I love you. I really do." Then she flung her arms around him and kissed him again. In this moment, and in this time, under the moonlight, she felt like all her troubles were over, and that everything was going to be okay. She could see into the future, and it was a bright future, with James in the center of it. She felt like she could do anything she wanted, now that she had him by her side.

"I'm so glad you feel the same way about me." James said, standing there looking at her.

Lily laughed and cried "Well what are you just standing there for? ASK ME OUT ALREADY!"

James smiled the biggest smile he had ever smiled and said. "Lily Evans, for the millionth time, will you go out with me?"

"Yes, more than anything in the world." She beamed at him, and hugged him again.

Now, with Lily in his arms, James felt his life fall into place. The one thing in the world that he didn't have was finally his, and he had never been happier in his whole entire life.


	13. Now What?

> When Lily arrived back in her room, Kate and Ruth were still awake. They were obviously talking about her and waiting for her to get back. Naturally, Ruth said "Ok tell us."
> 
> "Isn't there something you'd like to tell me first?" Lily said to Ruth.
> 
> "About..."
> 
> "The LETTER!"
> 
> "Oh that, well it was for your own good..."
> 
> "If you ever do that again I'll kill you." Lily tried to keep a straight face. "But I'm glad you did."
> 
> Kate gasped "Does that mean.."
> 
> "Yes it does." Lily said.
> 
> "WELL FINALLY!!" Ruth threw up her arms sarcastically. "Tell me about it."
> 
> "It was real romantic..." Lily sighed, and went on with details about what had happend.
> 
> Meanwhile in the boys' room...
> 
> "So it happend?" Sirius asked.
> 
> "Yea it did." James said.
> 
> "So what did you say to her?" Peter asked.
> 
> "Not much..." and James started telling the story about what happened.
> 
> "Well...good for you." Sirius said.
> 
> "Now what?" James said.
> 
> "What do you mean 'now what'?"
> 
> "What should I do now?"
> 
> "You take her out on a date?" Sirius said, stating the obvious.
> 
> "What kind of a date? I mean this is the girl of my dreams, I've always wanted to take her out, and now that I have a chance...I don't know where to take her, or whatever."
> 
> "Well technically you don't have to go out on a date to be...GOING OUT." Remus said.
> 
> "Yea, as long as she's your girlfriend." Peter jumped in.
> 
> "Yea." Sirius said. "Why don't you see how it turns out, and then ask her on a date for the next hogsmead visit?"
> 
> "Good idea." James said, and they went to bed.
> 
> * * *
> 
> It seems that no sooner than two days have past since their meeting by the lake, when everyone in Hogwarts knew that James Potter and Lily Evans were now officially a couple. James noticed a definate coldness in looks that girls have been giving him, not the usual smiles and hair flip he usually gets. Lily has also noticed a change in attitude of her fellow classmates.
> 
> Three mornings later, Lily entered the great hall with Ruth and Kate, and sat at the end of the table, away from three Gryffindor girls, Lani Wesley, Caroline Bell, and Malorie Blair.
> 
> "I wonder what their problem is." Ruth said.
> 
> "Isn't it obvious?" Kate said.
> 
> "No. What's so obvious?" Ruth asked.
> 
> "Lani." Kate replied.
> 
> "What about Lani?" Lily asked.
> 
> "You don't know?" Kate said, seeing the puzzled look on their faces. "I didn't tell you about Lani did I?"
> 
> "No." Ruth said. "Tell us."
> 
> Kate looked over at the three girls, who were now staring at them, and said "maybe later, now's not a good time."
> 
> Taking the hint, Ruth and Lily went on eating breakfast.
> 
> Half way through, Ruth just couldn't stand the silence so she said "when are you and James going out?" not caring about Caroline, who was looking at them and whispering.
> 
> "I don't know. Come to think of it, he just asked me out, he didn't specify when or where." Lily answered.
> 
> "Has he talked to you since?" Ruth asked.
> 
> "Now that you've pointed it out, not really." Lily was now deep in thought. "Has he been avoiding me?"
> 
> "I haven't noticed." Kate said. "Everything seemed normal to me."
> 
> "Of course, normal. After all, when I've had a crush on someone for six years and finally had the courage to ask them out only to find out they feel the same way about me, I ALWAYS avoid them from that point on." Ruth said loudly and sarcastically.
> 
> "Well you know boys..." Kate said.
> 
> "I guess you're right." Lily said.
> 
> Now that Ruth has brought it to her attention, she started wondering why James hadn't even come over to talk to her. _Why hadn't he asked her on a real date yet? Why doesn't he say more than "hello" when he sees her in the common room? Why hasn't he said anything?_ She had a funny feeling, but shook it off quickly. _He'll come around soon, I have never known James Potter as one to give up so easily._


	14. Kate's Memory

> > > > > The rest of the day went by without much talk between Lily and James. Lily had head girl duties, so Ruth and Kate decided they would go to the library, since it was about time they caught up on some studying for potions. 
>>>>
>>>>> "We're looking for the book Home Made Potions." Ruth said.
>>>>
>>>>> Kate read through the books on the shelf. "Home Made Potions. and then theres Home Made Potions 2, Hawaiian Edition."
>>>>> 
>>>>> "Hawaii?" Ruth said.
>>>>> 
>>>>> "Hawaii." Kate replied. "It's a place in America." 
>>>>> 
>>>>> "I know what Hawaii is." Ruth said. "Hawaiian edition?" 
>>>>> 
>>>>> " 'Spells and potions you can make at home using Hawaiian Organics' " Kate read the back. 
>>>>> 
>>>>> "Oh I see. Well that's no help we don't live in Hawaii. Just give me the first edition." Ruth said. 
>>>>> 
>>>>> Kate handed her the book, and sat down quietly, looking down. 
>>>>> 
>>>>> "Are you okay?" asked Ruth.
>>>>> 
>>>>> "Lani's part hawaiian." Kate replied.
>>>>> 
>>>>> "Oh right. There's that thing you were goin to tell Lily and I right?"
>>>>> 
>>>>> "Right."
>>>>> 
>>>>> "So tell me."
>>>>> 
>>>>> "Alright, but I think it's better you don't mention this to Lily."
>>>>> 
>>>>> "Well why not?" 
>>>>> 
>>>>> "You'll see." and Kate started her story. "Lani, Malorie, and Caroline used to be my friends. Lani didn't like Lily. I guess she was jealous that Lily was always the best at everything, and Lani has an enormous amount of Pride. She didn't like the fact that Lily was made a prefect and she wasn't."
>>>>> 
>>>>> Ruth Nodded and followed the story.
>>>>> 
>>>>> "From that point on, she really started to hate Lily." Kate continued. "In the fifth year, she started to like James Potter. I always thought that it was because he liked Lily, but I didn't want to say anything, because we were best friends. Remember how I told you that I used to go out with Zach Rowley?"
>>>>> 
>>>>> Ruth nodded.
>>>>> 
>>>>> "Lily was actually the reason why we broke up, but I have no hard feelings against her, it just made me see him for who he really is. So anyways, we met on the train this year, and he asked me out. After he met Lily, I could tell her fancied her as well, so Lani urged me to break up with him. After I did, Lani went after him. It got...ugly." 
>>>>> 
>>>>> "What happened?" Ruth asked.
>>>>> 
>>>>> "I think it's best you see for yourself." Kate said, and pulled out a journal. "This will take us back to what happened in my memory." 
>>>>> 
>>>>> "This is powerful magic, how did you learn it?" Ruth was shocked because she knew of no one who could put their memories into journals or pensives other than Dumbledore.
>>>>> 
>>>>> "That's not important." Kate said quickly. "Ready?" 
>>>>> 
>>>>> "Ready." 
>>>>> 
>>>>> And just like a flash of lightening, they were taken back to a stormy evening in late september. Kate was sitting in the Gryffindor common room with Malorie, when Lani and Caroline walked in. From the mud on their clothes, Ruth could tell they were just at quidditch practice. 
>>>>> 
>>>>> "Back so soon?" Kate said to Lani.
>>>>> 
>>>>> "It's thundering, we couldn't possibly practice outside with the risk of getting struck by lightening could we?" Lani replied. 
>>>>> 
>>>>> "I guess not." Kate said.
>>>>> 
>>>>> "Kate, I need to talk to you." Lani said. "In private." and Malorie and Caroline left. 
>>>>> 
>>>>> "What's going on?" Kate asked her. Then the present Kate said to Ruth. "The four of us don't have secrets. I knew something was going to happen when Lani asked the other two to leave." 
>>>>> 
>>>>> Lani sat down next to past Kate and started talking. 
>>>>> 
>>>>> "Well I was thinking, since you and Zach are broken up, that I would ask him to the next Hogsmead visit." Lani said.
>>>>> 
>>>>> "Why would you want to ask him?" Past Kate looked very surprised. "You were the one who said he was a girl-crazy inconsiderate jerk."
>>>>> 
>>>>> "I know I said that, but maybe he's not that bad." 
>>>>> 
>>>>> "Not that bad? You were the one who told me to break up with him, and now you want to go behind my back and ask him out?"
>>>>> 
>>>>> "I'm not going behind your back. I'm asking your permission." 
>>>>> 
>>>>> "What's the difference?" Past Kate was now in a rage and it looked like she would say anything she had on her mind. "Tell me, why on earth would you want to go out with him after you forced me to break up with him. Don't you like James?"
>>>>> 
>>>>> "Not anymore, and I didn't force you. Like you could have kept him anyways, everyone can tell that he was only going out with you until Lily would go out with him." Lani was getting angry too.
>>>>> 
>>>>> "And everyone could tell that the only reason you fancied James was because he was in love with Lily, and you were jealous. And now you like Zach because Lily likes Zach. You've always been jealous of Lily. What has she ever done to you, you green eyed monster!" Kate yelled.
>>>>> 
>>>>> "How dare you say that..."
>>>>> 
>>>>> "It's the truth. I know it, and you know it." 
>>>>> 
>>>>> "Well if you're gonna stick up for Evans, then you're no longer my friend. Why don't you go be friends with her."
>>>>> 
>>>>> "Being friends with anyone is better than you." 
>>>>> 
>>>>> "Fine then. But don't ever come crawling back to me." 
>>>>> 
>>>>> With that, Lani rushed up to her room with past Kate still sitting there, when the present Kate and Ruth came back to reality in the Library. 
>>>>> 
>>>>> Ruth was speechless. "Wow, I had no idea."
>>>>> 
>>>>> "That's why you can't mention this to Lily, you know, how Lani hates her and all." Kate said. "Promise you won't tell her about Lani."
>>>>> 
>>>>> "I promise." Ruth said.
>>>>> 
>>>>> "Promise you won't tell her about this journal either." 
>>>>> 
>>>>> "Why not?"
>>>>> 
>>>>> Kate hesitated "well...because...well..or else she'll ask about...well...it'll just create suspision."
>>>>> 
>>>>> "Alright." Ruth said. _What kind of suspision? Too late now, I'm suspisious, but I probably don't have any reason for it. Kate has a private life, and where she got that journal from, or where she learned that spell is none of my business._ She thought, and finnished studying for potions.


	15. Finally Together

> > > > The next morning, the whole school was gathered around the bullitin board, whispering. Ruth and Lily passed by on the way to breakfast, and decided to stop and have a look.
>>>> 
>>>> "What does it say?" Ruth asked.
>>>> 
>>>> "I don't know, I can't see." Lily replied. "You're taller, you have a look."
>>>> 
>>>> Ruth stood on her tip toes and tried to read over the heads of the crowd. "well?" Lily asked.
>>>> 
>>>> "Ok I can see it." Ruth said. "It looks like the next hogsmead visit is in three weeks, and...beauxbatons is arriving early!"
>>>> 
>>>> "What?"
>>>> 
>>>> "Hold one, lemme read more...it says that the school is having heating problems, so they're arriving at Hogwarts earlier, and staying for longer, or at least until after the problem is fixed."
>>>> 
>>>> "Heating problems? At a wizarding school? Why can't they just fix it with magic?" Lily asked.
>>>> 
>>>> "I dunno. Strange isn't it?" Ruth said, and kept on reading. "They're arriving in a week. That's about it."
>>>> 
>>>> Ruth and Lily continued into the great hall for breakfast.
>>>> 
>>>> "A week..." Lily said.
>>>> 
>>>> "Yup, a week." Ruth said. "How exciting."
>>>> 
>>>> "I guess, I've never met anyone from a different wizarding school before."
>>>> 
>>>> "I have, only once, on vacation in Greenland."
>>>> 
>>>> "What were you doing in Greenland?"
>>>> 
>>>> "My father's job. He had an archeology project in Greenland so my whole family went along."
>>>> 
>>>> "I see...but it's short notice isn't it? I mean the fact that beauxbatons is coming in a week."
>>>> 
>>>> "I guess..."
>>>> 
>>>> Meanwhile, the boys had just gotten in after looking at the bullitin.
>>>> 
>>>> "Hogsmead. Three weeks." Sirius said to James.
>>>> 
>>>> "I know, I know." James knew he was talking about asking Lily out. "I'm gonna do it today."
>>>> 
>>>> "Good." Remus said. "Wait any longer and she'll forget your name."
>>>> 
>>>> James laughed, and looked over at Lily. He had forgotten just how much he had missed her. He wanted to talk to her, but didn't know what to say. _She must think I'm an idiot, asking her out and then not talking to her again_ he thought. When he saw her walking out of the great hall, he followed her. "I'll be right back." He said to his friends.
>>>> 
>>>> He chased after her onto the grounds and yelled "Lily!"
>>>> 
>>>> She turned around and saw him. Then she told Ruth to go on down to the greenhouses, and she'd meet her there later since they were early anyways.
>>>> 
>>>> "James." She said with a smile on her face. "Haven't heard from you in a while." She laughed.
>>>> 
>>>> "Yes, I know." He laughed too. "I'm sorry about that, I've been busy."
>>>> 
>>>> "Really..."
>>>> 
>>>> "No. I have to be honest. I wanted to talk to you, but I was scared."
>>>> 
>>>> "Scared? of me? why?"
>>>> 
>>>> "Well maybe not scared, but, it's just that, I've asked you out so many times, and I've wanted you to say yes so many times, and now that it's happened, I don't know what to do."
>>>> 
>>>> "What do you mean?"
>>>> 
>>>> "I hope you'll forgive me for not saying much after Halloween, but I just don't know what to say. I was so happy after I found out you felt the same way that..."
>>>> 
>>>> "Sh..." Lily put her finger on his lips. "Don't say anything. I understand." Then she kissed him. "I was worried that you had stopped liking me for some reason."
>>>> 
>>>> "Never." He smiled. "So would you like to go to Hogsmead with me?"
>>>> 
>>>> "Of course." She replied. "We should go now. Don't want to be late for herboligy."
>>>> 
>>>> "No, of course not." And they walked down to the greenhouses, hand in hand.
>>>> 
>>>> At that moment, Lani came out onto the grounds with Caroline and Malorie.
>>>> 
>>>> "Lily Evans and James Potter." She said angrily to her friends. "So they finally got together."
>>>> 
>>>> "They look so happy." Malorie cooed.
>>>> 
>>>> "Shut up you dim wit." Lani said to her, making it obvious that Malorie didn't fit in with her and Caroline as much. "This disgusts me. What could he possibly see in her?"
>>>> 
>>>> "Well..." Malorie started.
>>>> 
>>>> "That was a retorical question idiot." Lani barked. "Lily Evans, so beautiful, so smart, so PERFECT." She said sarcastically, as she saw Lily beaming at James. "You may be James Potter's new girlfriend now, but not for long...not if I have anything to say about it. Ms. Evans, you better watch...your...back!"


	16. A Warm Welcome

> > > The week came and went until Saturday, the day when Beauxbatons would arrive. After breakfast that day, all the students came out and waited for Beauxbatons in front of Hogwarts. Lily and James stood by the staff, being head boy and head girl.
>>> 
>>> "How do you think they'll arrive." Lily asked James, not knowing much about other wizarding schools.
>>> 
>>> She had just asked him when, without warning, huge carriages with flying horses appeared from the sky, and after landing, a giant woman came out of the largest carriage.
>>> 
>>> Dumbledore smiled and went over, while the two of them followed him to a large, but young woman.
>>> 
>>> "Madame Maxime, I presume." Dumbledore said to her.
>>> 
>>> "Yes." She replied in a heavy accent. "And you must bee Dumblydoor?"
>>> 
>>> "Yes." Dumbledore said. "Albus Dumbledore, at your service. And here is James Potter and Lily Evans, our head boy and girl here at Hogwarts."
>>> 
>>> "How du you du." She bowed, and Lily and James bowed back.
>>> 
>>> "Zis iz a warm welcome, much warmer zan our school." She laughed after making the very bad pun.
>>> 
>>> James and Lily chuckled fakely.
>>> 
>>> "You must be tired from the trip, why don't you come in, and settle down." Dumbledore led the students into the great hall.
>>> 
>>> When Lily and James had caught up with Ruth, Kate, and the rest of the Marauders, they took a seat at the Gryffindor table, ready for lunch.
>>> 
>>> "How do they decide which house to stay in?" Lily asked them.
>>> 
>>> "I guess they just...pick a seat." Sirius said.
>>> 
>>> Just then, a group of 7 Beauxbatons seven years filed into the Great Hall, and sat down next to them.
>>> 
>>> "You are the head boy and head girl." A blonde girl said to Lily and James, in almost perfect English.
>>> 
>>> "Yes." James replied. "My name is James Potter."
>>> 
>>> "I'm Lily." Lily added.
>>> 
>>> "Nice to meet you." She smiled. "My name is Annette."
>>> 
>>> She introduced the rest of her friends. A tall, strawberry blonde girl was Janelle, and a short, pudgy brunette was Danielle. Paul was red headed, freckled, and tall. Olivier was also tall, although not as tall as Paul, the tallest in the group, and was dark haired, and Christophe was short and skinny.
>>> 
>>> "And there's also Lyle, but I don't seem to know where he went." Annette said.
>>> 
>>> "Probably looking at the library." Olivier jumped in. "He's always been a bookworm."
>>> 
>>> After that introduction, James introduced the Maurauders, and Lily's friends.
>>> 
>>> Then, Paul spoke. "Annette and I are head boy and girl at out school, it is a great pleasure to meet Hogwart's head boy and girl." His english was very good as well, but with a small hint of French accent.
>>> 
>>> It wasn't long until Dumbledore got up to make his usual speech, with Madame Maxime sitting to his right. "First I would like to welcome you, ladies and gentlement of Beauxbatons. I am Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I can see that many of you have already settled down and found some new friends. Each Beauxbatons student should find a house to sit with, and to follow in classes. I think that you all are very hungry and anxious to talk, so, lets eat lunch."
>>> 
>>> Lily had noticed that Annette's friends were a lot like her own, and they got along very well, but some of Annette's friends didn't speak as well as she did.
>>> 
>>> "Well arg yoo?" Danielle asked them, meaning 'are you well', but spoke in such an accent that the rest took it as...
>>> 
>>> "Where am I?" Ruth said.
>>> 
>>> "Non, well arg yoo?" Danielle repeated.
>>> 
>>> Ruth stared at her and blinked a couple times then shook her head and said "I'm sorry what?"
>>> 
>>> "She means, are you well, or how are you." Annette interpreted.
>>> 
>>> "Oh...I see. I'm great. How are you?" said Ruth, so slowly that the rest couldn't help but chuckle underneath their breath.
>>> 
>>> Kate, who spoke french, was fast in conversation with Janelle and Olivier.
>>> 
>>> "Oui, oui, j'adore la France. Ma tante est francaise. Je visite France une fois par annee." Kate said to them, which Lily understood none of.
>>> 
>>> "La France est tres magnifique!" Janelle replied.
>>> 
>>> Peter and Christophe, obviously the smallest of the group, had been talking, although not as loud or as enthusiastic as the rest of the group.
>>> 
>>> After lunch, James said "Why don't we take you to Gryffindor Tower now?" And the 13 of them followed him out.


	17. Bad Encounter

> > When they had gotten up to the fat lady, she said "Password?" and James replied "Dungbombs." as she swung open to reveal a different common room.
>> 
>> "Whoa..." Ruth said. "This place seems...bigger."
>> 
>> "Hm..you're right it does." Lily said.
>> 
>> "Of course. The whole school is bigger if you haven't noticed." James explained. "It has to be to accomondate ALL the beauxbatons students don't it?"
>> 
>> "So does that mean the grounds are bigger too?" Kate asked.
>> 
>> "No, the grounds are still the same size, and the school is too, on the outside. It's only the inside that's bigger." James said.
>> 
>> "Our rooms would be bigger too." Sirius added. "For sharing." Then he turned to the four Beauxbatons boys, Paul, Olivier, Christophe, and Lyle, who had just joined them, to follow him up to their room, and Peter and Remus helped.
>> 
>> "I guess we'll go this way." Kate and Ruth led the three girls up to their room, leaving James and Lily alone.
>> 
>> "So um...listen." Lily said. "I think I need some tutoring for defence against the dark arts."
>> 
>> "I thought you'd never ask." James smiled.
>> 
>> "I wanted to, but I was uh...I guess the world is 'scared', right?" She laughed.
>> 
>> James laughed too, but at that point, Lani and her gang came in with two Beauxbatons boys.
>> 
>> "Why, how nice it is to see you James." Lani said sweetly to him, and then sourly to Lily. "Evans."
>> 
>> Lily nodded while James said a quiet "hello."
>> 
>> Lani looked at her for a while and then made a sharp turn to James and said "How rude of me. I haven't introduced my friends. This is Henri, and Pierre." and then to Henri and Pierre. "This is James Potter, head boy, Gryffindor seeker, and a VERY good friend of mine." And she walked over in front of the staircase.
>> 
>> James exchanged hellos with the two boys, and Lani said to James "Pierre and I are kind of a uh...thing...if you want to call it that. Are you two uh..." she gestured to Lily.
>> 
>> "Yes we are." Lily jumped in.
>> 
>> Then Lani whispered something in James's ears and he laughed.
>> 
>> Lily saw this and said "I don't think this is a good time, maybe I should go."
>> 
>> "Yes please." Lani moved aside and put her hand out towards the staircase as a means to show her the way "leave."
>> 
>> Lily started walking up when James followed and said. "I think that's how you speak to your Head Girl Ms. Wesley. Such disrespect could end up in a detention." and turned his back to her. Then he said to Lily. "I'll meet you down here before dinner."
>> 
>> "Alright." said Lily before they went their seperate ways.
>> 
>> When they had gone up to their rooms, Lani stood there shocked with her arms crossed and tapping her feet. "I don't believe him. ARGGG...he doesn't know what he's missing, why could he possibly want to be with that little...that little...MUDBLOOD."
>> 
>> Obviously Lani did not like Pierre like she said she did, because when he said "arg we reelly a 'ting' az yoo say?"
>> 
>> "Oh get a life." Lani said, then she turned around to walk out of the common room when she stopped. She turned around with a smerk on her face and said "I have a job for you." and led him out of Gryffindor tower.


	18. Strange Behavior

> A week has passed with people getting to know each other, and it seemed the Hogsmeade visit just happened to hit them in the face, since no one really kept track of when it was. Suddenly, the whole school knew that Lily and James were going together. Lily had been greeted with girls saying "good luck" or "you're soooo lucky" while boys had been giving James the thumbs up and one even said "if it doesn't work out, tell her to call me." which ended up in a very awkward "um...right." from James, who wanted to disappear and run away.
> 
> After breakfast, Lily met James in front of the school building, and went off to Hogsmead together. They had made sure that their old and new friends don't follow them, by bribing them with chocolate frogs.
> 
> "So what do you want to do first?" James asked Lily.
> 
> "Um...let's go look around in the shops, and then we'll go to the Three Broomsticks for a drink. How's that?" She said.
> 
> "Sounds great." said he.
> 
> They entered the main shopping district of Hogsmead. First they visited Honeydukes, and bought Sirius some everyflavored beans. Then, they went into Zonkos, where a nose-bitting tea cup became the reason the two quickly ran out of he store. Then they went into Gladrags Wizardwear.
> 
> "That reminds me. I'm suppose to meet the girls at Madame Puddifoots at 2 o'clock. We're going shopping for Robes." Lily said.
> 
> "Why do you need to shop for robes?" James asked.
> 
> "For the ball." Lily said with a hint of 'duh'.
> 
> "That's not till Beauxbatons leaves." James said.
> 
> "You don't know?" Lily said surprisingly.
> 
> James just shook his head. "know what?"
> 
> Lily said in an informative tone "Dumbledore pushed it up, it's now on Christmas. Actually, he said that since it looks like they'll be here for a while, we might as well have one on Christmas anyways, and since that's only a few weeks away, and this may be our last chance before Christmas, we're going robe shopping."
> 
> "Well, alright then. But it's only 11, so we still have plenty of time." James said, when the entered.
> 
> Gladrags was THE place for all your fashion needs, with everything from dress robes, casual robes, uniforms, odd socks, to jewelry and accesories.
> 
> "I think I should get Petunia some earrings as a christmas present." Lily said.
> 
> "You mean your nasty sister?" James asked.
> 
> "She's a bit...off, but she's alright, really." Lily said. "Ooh...look at this." She had seen a necklace. It was a pearl necklace with bits of emerald in between, sparkling like stars.
> 
> "Try it on." James suggested.
> 
> "What?" Lily said, laughing at the crazy idea.
> 
> "Try it on." James said seriously.
> 
> Lily had realized that he really was serious. "I cant."
> 
> "Why not?"
> 
> "It's twenty galleons, what if I break it."
> 
> "Then we'll run out like nothing happened." James joked.
> 
> Lily looked at it for a while and thought about it. "Alright then."
> 
> James helped her put it on, and after he did, she looked at her reflection in the mirror.
> 
> "It looks beautiful." James said. "Really brings out the sparkle in your eyes." He said sweetly.
> 
> She sighed and took it off, placing it back to where it was before.
> 
> "Who am I kidding, I can't afford something like this." She said, and walked out of the shop. "Shall we go get a drink now?"
> 
> They were about to go into The Three Broomsticks, when Ruth and Remus, who were now dating, walked out with Sirius and Peter.
> 
> "I've been looking everywhere for you, James." Remus said.
> 
> Then Sirius said "We need to talk to you."
> 
> Lily knew that James had to leave now, so she said "that's alright, you go with them. I'll be alright with Ruth."
> 
> "Thanks." said James, and he gave her a peck on the cheek. "I need to make a quick stop." He said to Remus, and they were off.
> 
> Ruth and Lily entered the three broomsticks, and took a seat at the back of the room. Lily liked to have her back face the rest of the costomers, because it gave her a feeling of privacy, while Ruth, a gossiper, liked to see everything that was going on, so she sat right across from Lily.
> 
> "So how are things going with you and Remus?" Lily asked.
> 
> "Alright, I guess. What about you and James, we've waited a long time for the two of you to finally go out on a date." Ruth said.
> 
> "Well...he's a great guy, but everytime we get together, something always happens that stops us from doing so. Like right after the ball, we got together, but then we didn't really talk much after that. And just then..." Lily kept going, but that was about all Ruth had heard, because just then, she noticed something.
> 
> Across the room in a little corner was Kate, but who was that sitting with her? The person was dressed in a dark cloak, and his back (Ruth assumed it was a he becaue of the broadness of his shoulders) was facing towards her, so she couldn't see his face. Ruth couldn't believe she didn't notice a mysterious looking stranger and her friend sitting in there when she was with the Mauraders looking for James.
> 
> She said "un hun." and "yup" a couple times whiles Lily was talking to make it seem like she was paying attention, but really, she was watching Kate. She watched them exchange packages before the mysterious stranger got up, shook hands with Kate, and left. Ruth quickly sipped her butterbeer and pretended like she was paying full attention to Lily talking, because Kate was looking over at them. Her eyes were open big, like she was either surprised to see them, or afraid Ruth had seen something, because she quickly left the shop pretending like she hadn't noticed them.
> 
> "So anyways..." Lily was still talking, but Ruth interupted.
> 
> "I need to talk to you about something." She said.
> 
> "What is it? Are you alright?" Lily asked, because Ruth was not looking like her usual happy self.
> 
> "Well..." Ruth was very reluctant to say anything, but did anyways. "How well do you really know Kate?"
> 
> "Well..." Lily began, surprised at Ruth's random question. "I mean, I haven't known her very long, but she's become a pretty good friend."
> 
> "Yes I know, I mean, she's like part of the group now. But I do have a little concern."
> 
> "Yes..."
> 
> "Have you noticed anything strange about the way she's been acting lately?"
> 
> "No...why?"
> 
> "It's just that...well I've noticed certain things about that that make me...suspicious."
> 
> "suspicious....of Kate? Why? She's perfectly nice."
> 
> "Yes I know she's nice, she's very nice, and she's become a VERY good friend of mine, but...there are just things that I don't trust about her. I know it's wrong for me not to trust a friend like that, but I have perectly good reasons why not to."
> 
> "What reasons...."
> 
> "I would rather not say." Ruth quickly tried to steer away from that direction, because she would not want to tell Lily about what she saw happen between Kate and Lani. "Maybe I'm just being delusional."
> 
> "Maybe..." Lily said, sipping her butterbeer slowly, and still keeping an eye on Ruth, because she could feel there was something she wasn't telling her.
> 
> "Its just that we don't know that much about her family, or where she came from, or whatever. Just...don't put all your trust into her is what I'm saying. If there's anything you need, anything at all, come to me first."
> 
> "Of course." Lily said. "I always come to you first, you're my best friend. And I understand where you're coming from. You're just trying to look out for me."
> 
> "Exactly!" Said Ruth, happy to see she got her point across.
> 
> "It's almost time to meet Kate." said Lily, looking down at her watch.
> 
> "Ok. Don't mention any of this to her...ok?" Ruth said.
> 
> "Don't worry, I won't." Lily said, and they paid for their butterbeers and left to meet Kate.


	19. Picnic by the Lake

> > Lily and Ruth walked out of The Three Broomsticks and started up the road to Gladrags.
>> 
>> "Where are we meeting Kate?" Lily asked.
>> 
>> "Uh..." Ruth hesitated, and stopped to think.
>> 
>> "You don't know do you..." Lily said
>> 
>> "I thought you knew." Ruth said.
>> 
>> "I thought you knew!" Lily laughed at the irony.
>> 
>> Ruth turned around to see they were standing in front of the road leading up to the shrieking shack, and then turned back to Lily and said "now what?"
>> 
>> "I guess we go to Gladrags and see if we can find her there." Lily said.
>> 
>> "That won't be necessary." said a voice. Ruth and Lily turned around to see Kate, walking down from the road from the shrieking shack.
>> 
>> "There you are." Lily said.
>> 
>> "Ready to go?" Kate asked.
>> 
>> "Sure." said Ruth. "What were you doing up there?"
>> 
>> "Oh nothing...just checking something." Kate said casually.
>> 
>> "Checking on what?" Lily said, seeing what Ruth meant back in the pub.
>> 
>> "Silly things...you know...ghost stories and stuff." Kate said.
>> 
>> "Right..." Ruth muttered under her breath.
>> 
>> Upon arrival at Gladrags, they had so much fun trying on different dress robes, some wacky, some elegant, and some just plain girly, that Lily had forgotten all about Kate's strange behaviors. After they paid for their robes, they started their journey back to Hogwarts. Since most people were going to be at Hogsmeade all day, they decided to have a picnic by the lake with the Maurauders and their new french friends. They dropped their items off in their rooms, and went down to the kitchens.
>> 
>> "Hello there Winnie, how are you?" Kate said to Winnie the house elf, a friend of hers.
>> 
>> "I'm very well Masters Kate." Winnie said shyly. "I have prepared a basket for your outting today. Hope it's to your liking."
>> 
>> "Thank you Winnie." Lily said.
>> 
>> "You're very welcome Masters Lily." She said with a bow. "Good bye."
>> 
>> "Good bye." The three said.
>> 
>> "How do you know her?" Ruth asked Kate.
>> 
>> "Its a long story." Kate replied as her face fell.
>> 
>> "Its a long way from here to the lake." Ruth said.
>> 
>> "Alright then." Kate said, slowing down her pace. "Winnie was the house elf of my Uncle Thomas's. His family was killed one day, out of the blue, and we set her free along with the other elves." After that, she was quiet, looking at the floor.
>> 
>> "Oh no...I'm so sorry..." Ruth said, wishing she hadn't asked.
>> 
>> "No its alright. They were really that close anyways. I didn't even know I had an uncle until the day the news came." Kate said.
>> 
>> Lily gave her a hug. "Let's go on. Its a wonderful day out."
>> 
>> The three of them walked down to the lake, and the rest of their friends were already there.
>> 
>> "What's for eating?" Peter asked.
>> 
>> "Peter, all you care about is food." Sirius said.
>> 
>> "But I'm hungry." Peter said, as everyone laughed.
>> 
>> Ruth, answering Peter's first question, said "There is some bread, sandwiches, and soem french dishes for our guests."
>> 
>> "What sort of french dishes?" Sirius asked as he picked up package and unwrapped it. Inside was something that looked like pounded meat.
>> 
>> "That would be Goose Liver." Annette said, seeing the confused look on his face.
>> 
>> "Oh...I see." Sirius said, and quickly put it down.
>> 
>> The bunch of them sat eating and talking and laughing.
>> 
>> "Wait wait...ok, now who's going with who to the ball?" Ruth said.
>> 
>> "Un well...let's see." Lily said. "James and I are going together...um..."
>> 
>> "Remus and I." Ruth said.
>> 
>> "Uh..." Lily hadn't thought about her French friends and who they were going with. "What about you guys?"
>> 
>> "Well..." Annette informed them. "Paul and I are going, Janelle is going with Olivier, Danielle with Christophe, and Lyle with..."
>> 
>> "Lyle and I are going together." Kate chimed in. This came as a surprise to all of them, but apparently not Sirius.
>> 
>> "Oh..." James said, as he looked at Lily, and saw that she had the same look on her face.
>> 
>> "Um...Sirius, I just remembered, I found something that I think would interest you...you know...over there..." James pointed to a spot next to the school building. "I think Lily would like to see it too."
>> 
>> "Oh...right...yes I probably would." Lily said, getting James's hint.
>> 
>> "Well I don't know what you found that could possibly interest me but..." Sirius started, but James cut him off and pulled him along.
>> 
>> When they had gotten out of hearing range of the others, James pulled Sirius and Lily behind a rock, and right up against the wall of Hogwarts.
>> 
>> "What happened to you and Kate?" James asked Sirius.
>> 
>> "I thought the two of you would be going together." Lily joined in.
>> 
>> "No...we broke up." Sirius said.
>> 
>> "Why? What's wrong with Kate?" Lily asked in defense of her friend.
>> 
>> "Nothing...we got into a fight, that's all." Sirius said.
>> 
>> "What kind of a fight?" Lily asked.
>> 
>> "If you don't mind, I don't think its any business of yours." He said to both of them.
>> 
>> "I'm just concerned..." James said. "I can tell you liked her more than any of your other girlfriends."
>> 
>> "We..." Sirius hesitated. "Well...alright. If you have to know. It was a couple of days ago, and she had been spending a lot of time in the Library, you know, with Lyle. So when I asked her about it, she said it was none of my business. So then I said that it is because I'm her boyfriend, and she said that I wasnt being very supportive as a boyfriend. Then we got in a huge arguement about being honest with each other, and she confronted me about...something."
>> 
>> "What?" Lily asked.
>> 
>> "Um...Marleen, she confronted me about Marleen." Sirius said. "So we decided to make this breakup mutual."
>> 
>> This was good enough for Lily, so she left and went back to join the rest, but James knew that Sirius had been lying.
>> 
>> "What really happened?" James asked him.
>> 
>> "The breakup wasn't mutual, I broke up with her after she asked me about..."
>> 
>> "About...what?"
>> 
>> "About where I've been going once a month." Sirius looked really worried now. The maurauders had all been going to the shrieking shack once a month on the full moon to accompany Remus, a warewolf.
>> 
>> "You don't think that..." James said slowly and quietly.
>> 
>> Sirius knew what he was asking. "No, I don't think she's onto us. All she knows is that I've been disappearing once a month, and I think that she assumes that I'm cheating on her."
>> 
>> "Well as long as she doesn't know..." James said.
>> 
>> "Right..." said Sirius.
>> 
>> "Let's go back." said James, and the two of them went back to join the others to finnish their picnic.
>> 
>> (a/n I have a new fanfic up it's called A Wonderful Nightmare. It's a Ron/Hermione, a Harry love triangle, and a whole bunch of confusing stuff. But it also deals with a LOT of mystery, especially when it comes to strange letters that Harry has been recieving.)
>
>> > > 


	20. Disappointments for Lily

> > It has only been a few days since the last Hogsmeade visit, but the wait seemed longer. Christmas was finally here. Hogwarts was more crowded than ever, since most people stayed back for the ball. That morning, everyone woke up with piles of presents. Lily had recived two sweaters from home, some chocolate frogs from James, Remus, Sirius and Peter, a french chess set from her french friends, a book called "Charming You." from Ruth, and a small bottle from Kate. Evidentally, Ruth had recieved the same thing.
>> 
>> "What's this for?" Ruth said, after she thanked Lily for a poster of Muggle London.
>> 
>> "I have no idea." Lily said, closely examining ever inch of the bottle.
>> 
>> "Open it..." Ruth suggested.
>> 
>> "No, you open it." Lily said.
>> 
>> "I think we should ask her later." Ruth said taking the safe way out. Kate had obviously woken up early, because she wasn't in her nicely made bed, but her presents weren't open yet.
>> 
>> "Where could she have gone without even opening her presents yet?" Ruth asked, picking Kate's present from her.
>> 
>> "No idea." Lily said.
>> 
>> "What did James get you?" Ruth asked.
>> 
>> "Um...just some chocolate frogs from him and the boys." Lily said, as her face fell.
>> 
>> "Oh..." Ruth said. Chocolate frogs were very pathetic presents to recieve from a boyfriend, especially one that's been in love with you for nearly 7 years. Ruth herself had recieved a beautiful snow globe from Remus, because he knew she collected them.
>> 
>> Neither of them said anything for a while, and then Lily decided to break the silence. "Let's go down for breakfast."
>> 
>> When they entered the common room, everyone else was already down there, all but Kate and Lyle.
>> 
>> "We were wondering when the two of you would finally wake up." Sirius laughed, and the group went down to breakfast together.
>> 
>> The great hall was decorated with the usual decorations, including the twelve christmas trees. Suits of armor had been bewitched to sing carols whenever someone passed by. Peeves, of course, always hid in one of them and changed the lyrics with his own version of the song.
>> 
>> After breakfast, Ruth and Lily went up to their room and started getting ready for the ball, which started at 7 and ended at midnight.
>> 
>> "How romantic would it be..." Ruth said...swooning over Remus and the ball.
>> 
>> "I guess so..." Lily said, still puzzeled over why James had just gotten her some chocolate frogs, and they weren't even from him. They were from him and his friends.
>> 
>> "Oh Lily...stop thinking about it." Ruth said. "He loves you, that's all that matters."
>> 
>> "I know..." Lily said. "But he hasn't been acting like it lately."
>> 
>> "What do you mean?" Ruth asked.
>> 
>> "Well...we haven't spent a lot of time alone lately, and he hasnt told me he loved me in a while." Lily sighed.
>> 
>> "It takes time..." Ruth said. "I mean...he's had his eye on you for so long, now that he has you, I guess it takes a while to get it all into his head."
>> 
>> "I hope you're right." Lily said. "The thing is, he's been disappearing, every once in a while. He'll just completely disappear and not tell me where he's going in the middle of the night."
>> 
>> "Lily, I know what you're talking about." Kate had come in without Lily or Ruth knowing.
>> 
>> "Where've you been?" Ruth asked, with a hint of coldness in her voice.
>> 
>> "The library." She replied.
>> 
>> "What were you doing in the library?" Lily asked, curiously.
>> 
>> "I had to do some last minute research." Kate said.
>> 
>> "Research? On what? It's christmas." Ruth said.
>> 
>> "I know, but...I've been working on something...and I think I've finally cracked it." Kate said.
>> 
>> "What?" Ruth asked.
>> 
>> Kate was about to reply, when Jessica, another Gryffindor 7th year, came in.
>> 
>> "Hello." She smiled.
>> 
>> "Hi." The three of them said.
>> 
>> "I hope I'm not interrupting anything, I'm just getting ready for my date." Said Jessica.
>> 
>> "So are we..." Lily said, trying to be friendly to the roomate they never really talked to. "So who are you going with?"
>> 
>> "I'm going with Sirius Black." She said. This came as a shock to the three of them.
>> 
>> "Oh...good for you." Ruth said slowly.
>> 
>> "I'm so glad he asked me, he's so handsome and charming and..." Jessica began, but then noticed Kate in the room "Oh that's right...you two went out didn't you?"
>> 
>> "Yes...we're long over." Kate said quickly, and then turned away from her. After no one had said a word, Kate caught on to what Jessica had been thinking and said "It's alright. I don't mind. No hard feelings. I broke up with him." She assured her.
>> 
>> "Oh...well that makes this less awkward doesn't it." Jessica said, giving a weak laugh. The four of them just stood (or in Ruth and Lily's case sat) in silence waiting for someone to say something, anything. 
>> 
>> "Why don't you get ready with us?" Lily said, trying to be polite. She looked over at Ruth and Kate, who gave looks saying that they wouldn't mind. 
>> 
>> "Sure, that would be great." Jessica said, taking a seat next to them. 
>> 
>> After half way through getting ready, Jessica said to Kate, "I'm not trying to be nosy or anything, but why did you break up with Sirius?"
>> 
>> Kate was obviously not in the mood to be discussing this sort of thing, especially with someone she didn't know very well. "Trust issues." She replied coldly.
>> 
>> "Oh...what type of trust issues?" Jessica asked. "I mean its just that I'm his girlfriend now, and... well I don't know if I want to be... after all... I don't know him all that well." 
>> 
>> "Oh no... he's perfect for you." Kate said, knowing that Jessica has had her share of boyfriends, each lasting no longer than a month. "I'm sure you'll get along great." She said sarcastically, then turned to her watch. "Look at the time, must be going down to meet the boys Ruth... Lily."
>> 
>> "Right..." Lily said, suspecting that there may be more to what had happened between her and Sirius than Sirius had told her. 
>> 
>> "Let's go." Said Ruth. 
>> 
>> Ruth was wearing a scarlet robe with a layered bottom. Kate wore a blue robe with lace along the sides. Lily wore a stunning green robe with a wide, and low neckline. 
>> 
>> "Wait a minute..." Ruth said, looking at Lily's robe.
>> 
>> "What?" Lily said.
>> 
>> "Something's missing, I can't put my finger on it." Ruth said
>> 
>> "What do you mean?" Lily asked.
>> 
>> "One more accesory." Ruth said, and gave her a small pearl pendent to wear, which did improve the emptiness of her neckline. 
>> 
>> With that, the four of them went downstairs to meet the boys. Kate's and Ruth's dates were both waiting for her, but James wasn't there. Sirius told her that he was already down at the Great Hall, which made Lily disappointed. First, he gets her a horrible christmas present, and now he doesnt even meet her to escort her down to the ball. Upon arriving at the great hall, all the christmas decorations were up. There were the usual twelve christmas trees, and there were wreaths on the doors, and candles on the windows. All the tables had been cleared, except for a few small seats by the refreshments. Lily spotted James standing by himself, so she went over to him.
>> 
>> "There you are, I've been looking for you everywhere." James said. 
>> 
>> "Yes well, I was upstairs waiting for you." Lily said, trying to hide the angry look on her face.
>> 
>> "Um..right...well, there's something I'd like to give you." He steered her out into the courtyard, with rosebushes that glowed with fairylights. 
>> 
>> "Wow..." Lily said, looking at the sight. "It's beautiful."
>> 
>> "It is..." James said. "But nothing compared to you..."
>> 
>> Lily smiled a little. 
>> 
>> "That robe looks stunning on you, so does that necklace." James said.
>> 
>> "Thank you. The necklace is actually Ruth's." Lily said.
>> 
>> "Its pretty, but I know something that'll look even better with your dress." James said, as he pulled out a box and gave it to Lily. "Open it." he said.
>> 
>> Lily opened it, and inside was the necklace they saw in Hogsmeade. 
>> 
>> "Oh my goodness...James...its...its..." Lily didn't know what to say, she was so overwhelmed. 
>> 
>> "Merry Christmas." James said, and he put it on for her. Then he took a step back to look at her "You look even more beautiful than I could have ever imagined." 
>> 
>> All Lily did was smile, and then she kissed him. "Let's go in and dance now."
>> 
>> "Wait." James said. "Just wait a few minutes. I want to be alone with you, just for now." They both took seats in front of the fountain. "Nothing but the sound of the water from the fountain, and the moon...the bright full moon..." He said. It took him a while to realize what he has just said. "The full moon. Tonight is the full moon!" He sat up quickly, thankfully, the moon had just gone behind a large cloud.
>> 
>> Lily stood up too, quite confused. "yes...its the full moon..." she said slowly. "so what?" 
>> 
>> James realized that he made a mistake with his reaction, but he didn't even try to fix it because he knew there was more at stake. "Look, I cant explain, but I have to go to Re-" Before he could get his final word out, Remus and Sirius came out. 
>> 
>> "Why aren't you inside enjoying the music?" Remus said cheerfully, not knowing what day it was.
>> 
>> "It's the full moon tonight Remus." James said, as he tried to rush Remus inside.
>> 
>> "What happens on the full moon?" Lily asked, still confused and going after James. 
>> 
>> "I know what happens on the full moon." Kate came out into the courtyard, and locked the door behind her. 
>> 
>> James, Sirius, and Remus stopped dead in their tracks. 
>> 
>> "Kate, you don't know what you're talking about." Sirius said, stepping away from Remus and taking a few steps closer to Kate, pointing his finger at her in a very angry tone. It seemed to the other three he was about to strangle her. 
>> 
>> "Oh I know EXACTLY what I'm talking about." Kate said. 
>> 
>> "What's going on here?" Ruth broke through the locks with Peter coming in after her. Obviously, Peter had just found out it was the full moon. 
>> 
>> "Look..." Sirius said to Kate. "All we need to do is get Remus to the hospital wing right now. We don't need anymore from you." 
>> 
>> "Fine..." Kate said. "Take him to the hospital wing, u James and Peter. But I'm coming with you, and Ruth and Lily too."
>> 
>> "No." James said. "Kate, this is serious. Don't play games its dangerous."
>> 
>> "I think Lily deserves to know the truth about where you've been going once a month." Kate said.
>> 
>> Lily now had become interested in what Kate had said. "Yes, I think I deserve to know. I am your girlfriend after all."
>> 
>> "Fine..." James said. "But we get Remus to the hospital wing first." 


	21. Lani's Scheme

No one really knows what had happened in Remus's hospital room that night, no one other than the other 7 people who were also in there. All you could hear from the outside was the thudding of one or two bodies hitting the floor from fainting, a very heated argument, and a long silence before the girls stormed out. After another couple of hours, the only one who was left by Remus's bedside was James.

He starred out the window, thinking about Lily. Thinking about what was going to happen next. Lily distinctly told him that she was not so sure she trusted him anymore, after keeping such a big secret from her. How could he face Ruth and Kate tomorrow? Did he just lose three friends? The good news, at least, is that Kate did not figure out that James, Sirius, and Peter were animaguses, so there was still a chance of patching things up with Lily.

"Hey there, James." Said a voice from behind.

James turned around and saw none other than Lani standing behind him.

"What are you doing? You're not suppose to be in here." said James in a rather hostile manner.

Lani, sensing that he was upset, simply said "To check on you. You know if you were a bit more caring then Lily wouldnt be turning to Zach for comfort."

"What?"

Lani put on her innocent face and said "I'm sorry you have to find out this way, but on my way up, I past the library and the two of them were certainly gettin cozy. And I thought Lily hated Zach." she said, adding a little bit of a chuckle at the end.

"Yeah...so did I." James said, his heart sinking.

Then, Lani walked over and sat next to him. She put her arm through his and rested her head on his shoulder. "You poor thing, you must feel terrible."

"Yes well...wait a minute." James had just realized something. "How did you know I was up here? How did...how come...how much do you know?"

Lani looked shocked like James was accusing her of some crime. "Well I saw Sirius and Peter coming from here, and when I noticed you and Remus weren't with them, I thought maybe you were up here. If you mean how much do I know about why you're here, well I have no idea...Don't worry I'm not nosy like some people. I understand that some things you just have to keep to yourself."

"Well...I thank you for that." James said, pulling away and sliding further down the bench, away from Lani.

Lani wasn't the type of girl to give up easily, so immediatly she slid back next to him and said "James..." very softly.

He looked at her, and before he knew it, Lani had leaned in and kiss him. He wanted to pull away but couldnt.

"James I'm sorry..." Lily had just walked in to apologize, and when she saw this mind boggling scene before her, she said "For ever thinking of giving you another chance!"

James had just realized that Lily had seen him and Lani kissing. He ran down the steps after her, and caught her at the landing.

"Lily...let me explain." James said.

"Explain what? What could you possibly explain?"

"That I love you!"

"That's a lie! It's just like every other lie you've ever told me. First you're protecting a warewolf, and then you're locking lips with that skank! James I really dont know what to say to you."

"Say that you'll give me another chance! And what about you? You and Zach!"

"What about me and Zach? There you go again, being jealous. James I don't know what to do about this. Why should I give you another chance? I've given you plenty of chances."

"Okay, so I've kept ONE thing from you, I'm still the James you've known for 6 and a half years!"

"James I'm not so sure I know you anymore." With that Lily walked to the window, took the necklace off, placed it on the window sill, and walked away.

James watched her walk away until she was out of sight, then picked up the necklace and went back to the hospital wing. Lani had already left, so James sat by Remus's bed, starred at the necklace, and thought about Lily.

* * *

When Lani got back to her room, Melonie and Caroline were still awake.

"Mission accomplished." She smiled.

"So he believed you about Zach and Lily?" Caroline asked.

"Of course. And Lily took the bait, she saw us kissing." Lani said.

Melonie gave her a high-five and said "Maybe this night wasnt so bad after all!"


	22. Urgent Situation

Almost month has past since the Christmas Ball incident, and the students of Beauxbatons had only a week left at Hogwarts. The attitude towards this fact was almost mixed. Some were making the best out of the week left, and having more fun than they had ever had. Some were gloomy about their new friends leaving. For Lily and James, who havent spoken since the dreadful evening, the last thing they needed was a call down to Dumbledore's office for a very private, very top secret meeting.

"The farewell ball has been canceled." Dumbledore spoke firmly, but still with an air of nervousness.

"What?" Lily said, shocked. "Why? What's going on?"

"There has been an emergency, the Beauxbatons students will be going home tomorrow night." Dumbledore replied.

"How can we help?" James asked

"I have decided, along with the minister of magic, that its best if no one knows about this. I need the two of you, tomorrow night to come out by the lake and assist us. The Hogwarts students must not know. The Beauxbatons students are being informed of the situation as we speak." Dumbledore replied.

"But why headmaster?" Lily asked.

Dumbledore knew that a situation as important as this should be kept topsecret, but he knew that Lily Evans and James Potter could definatly be trusted.

"If I tell you, you must promise not to mention this to anyone. Not even your most trustedand loyal friend." Dumbledore said. "I think you best have a seat."

James knew now that this was indeed a serious situation. He has never seen Dumbledore so distressed.

"Last night, the ministry of magic recieved a letter, written in blood with the message 'his blood is at Hogwarts' written on it. We have...many reasons to believe that the blood the note mentioned is Voldemort's blood. We are not sure what it means by his blood, but right now we can't send the students home without an explaination to their parents, and we really dont want to worry anyone. However, the Beauxbatons students must leave immediately."

"Could that mean...that Voldemort is at Hogwart's?" James asked, worriedly.

"No, he is not at Hogwart's. If I know Voldemort, he would never set foot on Hogwart's grounds, but I assume it means that there is a spy among us. A traitor. No one can be trusted. Do you understand?" Dumbledore warned.

"Yes." Said Lily and James together.

"Good." Dumbledore said. "Meet me by the lake at midnight. James, I would suggest the cloak."

* * *

However reluctantly, Lily met James in the common room at 10 minutes to midnight. James brought his invisibility cloak with him.

"So, another little secret of yours?" She said coldly.

"Not exactly a secret, not like I kept it from you. The subject never came up." James said.

"So if a subject never comes up it doesnt exist? There is no need to talk about it at all?"

"Not when its irrelevant."

"What about when it is relevant. Like say, being friends with a warewolf."

"Oh don't start this again. He may be a warewolf but hes still Remus Lupin, the same Remus Lupin we've all known and loved for so many years."

"I don't blame Remus, he wasn't MY boyfriend."

"I didn't tell you because I didn't want to put you in danger."

"What kind of danger?"

"The kind of danger that we might be getting ourselves into in a couple of minutes. And if it wasnt for this 'secret' cloak, you wouldnt have much protection."

And with that James wrapped the cloak around Lily and himself, and the two headed down to the lake.

As the carriages slowly drifted off into the distance, Dumbledore had gone back in but left Lily and James to watch them until they could no longer be seen.

To save the awkward silence, James said. "So...how are things with...whats his name...Zach?"

"I dont know what you're talking about." Said Lily, sincerely.

"I mean, the night you found out about...well...you know. I heard you were getting cozy with Zach in the library."

"After I left the hospital wing that day, I walked 15 times around the lake. I never stepped foot near the library. When I got a note from you telling me to meet you in Remus's hospital room I..."

"Wait...what note?"

"What do you mean what note? You wrote me a note saying..."

"I never wrote a note. I stayed in his room the whole time."

"What was Lani doing there?"

"She came to tell me about you and Zach."

"So she's behind this...why did you kiss her?"

"I didn't kiss her, she kissed me."

"Why didn't you pull away? I was standing there long enough for you to have pulled away a million times!"

"Because...because in a way...I wanted her to be you. I wanted to kiss you and I guess...I don't know. You're right, theres absolutely no excuse I should have pulled away...I should have told her off. Lily..." James said, taking her hand. "I truely, deeply, whole heartedly love you. The last couple of weeks was absolutely miserable for me. I can't live without you in my life. Without seeing your sweet smile, your beautiful eyes, without holding you in my arms, or kissing you..."

Lily stopped his talking with a soft kiss.

"We should go back in now." She said.

James smiled and led the way in.


	23. A Package for James

The next morning, everyone was so busy trying to figure out what in the world happened to their French friends, that no one really noticed that James and Lily were on speaking terms again.

Breakfast that day was interupted when Sirius had come in with a very loud, very giggly Jessica on his arms.

"I honestly don't know what he sees in her." Lily said to James.

"I've known Sirius quite a while, and I must say, I've never really figured out what he saw in any of his girlfriends. And hes had his share of girlfriends." James chuckled.

"That girl's an absolute nightmare...literally. She'd often wake the whole room up in the middle of the night with her snoring. She NEVER stops talking about 'Sirius this' 'sirius that' but she hardly knows him. She didn't fall for Sirius, she fell for his popularity."

"You're probably right. The only girl who seemed to accept Sirius for himself was Kate."

"Thats right...its a shame they broke up."

James paused for a moment, thought deeply, and said. "Let's set them back up."

"Set Sirius and Kate back up? How do you plan to do that?" Lily thought this idea was absurd.

"I don't know. We'll think of something I'm sure."

"May I have your attention please?" Dumbledore has gotten up to make a speech.

"As you all may have noticed, our visitors from Beauxbatons has left. I'm sure you're all wondering why they have, and the answer is that there has been an emergency back home, but it's nothing that any of you would need to worry about."

Dumbledore was just starting to sit back down when a flock of owls rushed into the Great Hall. One particular Barn Owl dropped a small green parcel in front of James Potter.

"What is it?" Sirius asked as he sat down next to James.

James did not answer, or even acknowledge that Sirius was next to him. Instead, he took one look at it and ran off.

"Mate! Where you going?" Sirius shouted.

Lily said "I left my book upstairs, I need to go get it. I'll meet you all in Charms."

She left the Great Hall, but instead of heading towards Gryffindor tower, she followed James.

* * *

Lily found herself walking down the corridor towards the library, which was empty except for the librarian at this hour. James walked to a dusty end of the library, lifted up a tapestry, and opened the door that hid behind it with a spell. Lilyusedthe new invisibility spell she had learned, andfollowed him in, finding herself in a strange room. It was an exact copy of the rest of the library, like she had just re-entered it. Except all the books were different.

Lily watched James look around at the shelves, taking books and tapping it twice with his wand, saying "ottenga nell'ordine."

Lily walked over to the table where James had placed the parcel, and saw that it was addressed to "Master JP". She wondered why the package hadn't simply said James Potter, and why anyone would call him "Master". Not only was that strange, but the wrapping was strange also. It was a normal green color, but the address was written over what looked like a phoenix. But before Lily could examine it anymore, she heard James coming back.

She hid herself behind a bookself and watched James open up an old looking book. He flipped through it frantically and when he found the page he needed, ripped it out. Lily was shocked, of course, because James Potter would never ruin a library book. James looked around to make sure no one saw him, and without seeing Lily, took the package and the page, and rushed out of the library.

When she made sure he had left, Lily walked around this strange room, and was puzzled. The shelves were almost identicle to those of the real library, except the titles werent words that she recognized. The letters rearranged themselves every couple of seconds to make complete rubbish. She then walked over to the book, which was still open at the page where James had ripped something out. She closed the book, and took a look at the title. It was, of course, rearranging itself. She tapped it twice and said "ottenga nell'ordine". The letters started to come together and make sense, when it stopped, Lily almost fainted.

Mortified, she ran out of the library and back to Gryffindor tower. She was going to miss Charms, her favorite class, but after this experience, she really wasn't in the mood to do anything but lie on her bed by herself, and try to decide what to do next.


	24. Thinking

During lunch, Lily was still nowhere to be found.

James was quietly enjoying lunch when Sirius came in, and seeing the confusing look on James's face, ate his chicken to get his attention.

"Hey, what are you doing?" James jumped up finally, after playing with his food for a while.

"Whats wrong with you mate?" Sirius asked.

"What do you mean?"

"You've got that look on your face, something's wrong."

"Do I?"

"Yeah. What was that package you got today? Left without saying a word. Is that why you look so troubled? What was in it?" Sirius bombarded James with questions.

"No, no. It's got nothing to do with the package, it was just...some presents from mum and dad from their trip to Spain." James lied.

"Is it Lily then?"Without giving James a chance to answer, Sirius wenton saying "Look we'vebeen over this a million times. It was ages ago, you have to move on, theres no use inputting yourself through all this torture...go out! meet some more girls!"

"Actually, Lily and I are back together." Jamessmiled.

Ittook Sirius a moment to take in what he had just heard, after all the assumptions he had just made. "What? When did this happen?"

"Last night, we...had a talk."

"Well congradulations!"

"Thanks. I'm planning a special date tonight.I plan on sneaking her off to the shrieking shack and having a romanticdinner...you know...to make up for...well...you know..."

"Yes...I doknow." Chuckled Sirius.

"But listen...don't tell everyone else about this until after the dinner. I don't want anything to be jinxed."

"You've got it!"

* * *

James was just putting on one of his best robes when Sirius rushed in. 

"I think theres something you need to see." He said, handing James a note.

James's heart fell when he read it.

_Dearest James,_

_I've been doing some thinking, and I have come to realize that this may not be the best for us. I'm sorry...I can't make it tonight.Actually...I won't be able to make it any other night either. I'm sorry, but I'm afraid of getting hurt. You've broken my heart once before, and I'm afraid you'll do it again. I'm scared James, I'm so confused and I don't know what to do. I believe that it is best for BOTH of us if we simply remain friends. _

_Love always,_

_Lily_

"Where did you get this?" James asked Sirius.

"Ruth gave it to me...I'm...I'm really sorry James." Sirius said as he left James alone in his room.

James looked out the window at the moon, thinking about Lily. Lily was also looking out the window at the moon, thinking about James. It was a funny thing this feeling inside for both of them. Such love was rare to find, yet such pain was hard to describe. It was the pain that Lily went through to write the letter, and the pain that James had felt as he read it.

It was hard even for Lily to pick up the pen, but what she had witnessed in the mysterious room that day was a bad a crime as betrayal. Walking back to Gryffindor Tower the night the Beauxbatons students left, she asked him if there was anything else that she should know. He replied that everything in his heart he had given to her, and there was nothing else. He had told her that his deepest and darkest secrets she already knew, and there was nothing between then anymore. Now Lily knew that he had been hiding the biggest secret he could keep from her.

She's not sure why James had took a page out of "Turning to the Dark Side". She had tried so hard to believe that he was trying to learn about how it is someone turns to the dark side, but her gut feeling had told her that James was evil. She couldn't understand why such a room existed in Hogwarts? A seemingly wicked room in such a purely good school. Then again, Slytherin had his chamber of secrets, maybe this was one of those rooms, because when she tried to find the room again, she lifted up the same tapestry and there was nothing but stone wall beneath it.

James didn't understand why Lily had wanted to break up with him. He wondered why she couldn't at least tell him to his face that it was over. Was she scared of him? No, thats an absurd idea, he thought. Had he done something wrong? Again? How could she kiss him and tell him he loves her one day, and hide from him the next? Love is a confusing thing, he thought. He had a love deep inside of him for Lily, a love that started the moment he had laid eyes on her, and a love which grew with time and finally surfaced not so long ago. Yet now, that love was buried under hatred, and jealousy, and confusion, and...of course...heartbreak.

They both took a breath, and said quietly to themselves, _maybe it just wasn't meant to be..._


	25. Tears and Potions

The next morning Lily woke up with a desire to see James, talk to him, just be in his presence again. But then she though _no, he's keeping secrets from me, terrible secrets. _She wasn't sure who she could trust anymore. James was the one person she could talk to. He was her best friend, and the person she trusted the most, because they were going to fight voldemort together. Everything she thought to be truth were no longer.

She walked downstairs into the common room and saw James sitting on the couch. He sensed her presence and stood up.

"Let's take a walk." He said.

She wanted to say yes, she really did, but she wasn't sure if she should. She opened her mouth to say no, but "okay" came out instead.

They walked to the lake, to the same spot where they had professed their love so long ago.

"So..." James started, but couldn't think of exactlythe right words to say. "Is it...I mean are we...is this...are we really..."

"Yeah..." Lily knew what he meant. "It's really over. I'm sorry James."

"But...but...why? What happened Lily? I thought everything was fine." He was trying to understand, and torturing himself to figure it out.

"Right...WAS..." What else could she say?

"Well what made it...not...fine?" James wanted to cry out, but he decided to stay strong. But Lily could see that he was crying on the inside.

"It's...complicated...I mean..." She wanted to ask him about the mystery room, but didn't want him to know that she had spied on him. He would hate her for that. "Look..."

"What?" He asked softly.

"It's just that we've been together for only a couple months, and we've broken up so many times. I don't think I can put myself through any more pain." She said.

"But you won't have to go through any pain. Nothing has come between us this time..."

"Yet." Lily interupted.

James took her hands in his and said, sincerely, "Nothing will...I promise you that. I will protect you."

"No...no James, not this time. I don't think you can."

"Lily..." He ran his fingers through her hair and put his hand on the side of her face.

"James. If you don't want to hurt me then please...just let me go." She was now crying.

He took his hands off her face and out of her hair and into his pocket. "So...is this really the end?"

"I think so..." She said as she wiped off her tears with her sleeve.

"If that's what you want..."

"Yes..." She turned around and started to leave.

"But wait...Lily..." He called after her.

She stopped but didn't turn around to look at him.

"Why? Why now? What happened please tell me. I deserve an explaination."

She turned her head slightly, and then slowly turned her whole body around to face him.

"We're just...different..."

"Different how?"

"Different as in...different people..."

"HOW?" He screamed as he started to cry.

"We're not the same people."

"We've established that keep going..."

"I'm not the same person that I thought I was...and you're not who I thought you were...James...I don't know who you are! You're not who I thought you were..." She said as she turned and ran back towards Hogwarts.

James stood by the lake and watched her walk away. He wondered what he had done to hurt her, why did she suddenly want to end this once and for all?

But no...there is a situation more important at hand. It was bigger than the two of them. He reached into his pocket where he found 3 strands of long red hair. Then he started towards the forbidden woods and said to himself, "I'm sorry Lily, but I have to do this."

10 minutes into the woods he found a small wodden hut in a little clearing. Inside the hut was a cauldron where he has been making a polyjuice potion for the past month.


	26. A Fateful Night

I think this story is going to be 30 chapters, and then I'm going to be done. So anyways here's chapter 26.

* * *

A week has passed since James and Lily said goodbye for good, and Lily has been crying herself to sleep ever since. Now, she's decided that she has to pull herself together and stay strong for Final Examinations coming up soon.

After Transfiguration, her last class on Friday, she decided she needed a walk by herself to clear her head. She walked around the school and into the courtyard, which was empty because everyone was in the great hall eating dinner. The courtyard was dark with nothing but the moonlight shining down on her.

Suddenly she heard something in the bushes. She turned around quickly but there was nothing there. She decided that she was being paranoid.

She walked over to the fountain and sat on the edge and looked into the water. It was dark but she could see her reflection. Her face was drained of all color and her eyes lost their sparkle. She looked sad and she felt sad. Then, over her shoulders was a shadowy figure.

Someone was behind her, someone was going to attack her. But before she could turn around, everything went dark.

- - - - -

The next morning when she woke up she was in her bed. There was a throbbing pain in her head, and when she reached up she felt a slight bump.

"Are you alright?" Asked Ruth.

"Yes, I'm fine." She replied.

"I was worried about you after what happened last night." Ruth said.

"You were?" Lily was utterly confused, because she couldn't remember anything at all.

"Yeah, you were...strange...last night." Ruth said.

"How so?"

"You...asked a lot of questions."

"Questions...Ruth I don't remember anything that happened last night."

"Well I suppose you wouldn't. I don't think you were yourself last night. It's like...it's like you were...posessed."

"Posessed?"

"Yeah..."

"What happened last night Ruth? Tell me."

"Alright well...you weren't at dinner, so Kate and I came upstairs looking for you. We found you in your bed. We asked you to take a walk with us but you said 'no.' Then suddenly...you...turned on Kate or something."

"What do you mean?"

"You started asking her questions like...who her parents were, where she lived...those types of questions you know?"

"Yeah...so..."

"And then you asked...stranger questions like..."

"Like what?"

"Like...I...I don't even remember...but it was like you were interrogating her. Like she committed a crime. Like...where she was on a certain day. What was her wand made out of. How often she sends out letters to certain people."

"Oh no...I have to go apologize...I don't know what I did."

Perfect timing, because Kate came in the door, but stayed away from Lily.

"Kate...whatever happened last night...I'm sorry. I don't remember anything, I...I think I bumped my head..."

"Alright..." She said...but it was obvious Kate was not accepting Lily's apology, because she left right away.

Lily tried to chase after Kate, but was stopped by James in the common room.

"Lily Dumbledore needs us...now..."

"What's wrong?" She knew from the tone of James's voice that something terrible has happened.

"Remember 'his blood is at Hogwarts' ?"

"Yes..."

"Well...whoever he is...he killed someone."

Lily was trying to take it all in but she just couldn't believe it. "What?"

"A 5th year muggle-born was killed last night." James said. "He was the Hufflepuff prefectRobbie Hess."

"Oh my goodness...a prefect was killed?" Lily was shocked.

When they arrived at Dumbledore's office, he sat the two of them down and said "We have a serious situation on our hands."

"Dumbledore...how was he killed?" Lily asked.

"Avada Kedavra..." Dumbledore answered.

"So that means that..." James said.

"A deatheater." Lily finnished.

"There's one at Hogwarts." Lily said.

"I don't believe it was any deatheater." Dumbledore said.

"What do you mean?" Lily asked.

"James here has reason to believe that it was a blood relative of Voldemort." Dumbledore answered.

"Is this true?" Lily asked James.

"Yes...and I think you'reher next target." James replied.

"Her?" Dumbledore said.

"Yes...it's a she." James answered.


	27. Revelations

"Is there something you're not telling me James?" Dumbledore asked.

"Headmaster...Lily..." James stood up and looked at them both. "I know who it is."

"Who is it?" Lily asked.

"Voldemort has a niece..." James replied.

Lily's memory flashed back to the day of a hogsmeade visit...to Winnie the House-elf who once belonged to..."Uncle Thomas...Tom Riddle...Voldemort..."

She looked up at James and he nodded.

"Yes Lily..." He knew that she has figured it out.

"Professor...I believe your killer is Katherine Browning. Kate to her friends."

"No...no..." Lily said. "I don't believe you...Kate couldn't have...she was...with me last night...at least I think she was. I mean...I don't remember but Ruth said she was with me last night."

"Lily you don't know what happened last night...Ruth doesn't know what happened last night." James said.

"What?" Lily was now completely confused.

"I'm going to leave you two alone now." Dumbledore said as he started to walk away. Before he walked out of his office into the next room, he said to James "I think now is the time to tell her everything."

James saw down again and looked Lily in the eye. "Lily do you remember anything that happened last night?"

"No...I don't." She said.

"What do you remember?"

"I remember...I was in the courtyard and...and I was...attacked...I think. And the next thing I knew...I was in my bed and it was morning."

"I'm sorry Lily...I'm sorry I had to do it."

Lily jumped up and said "You? It was you? You attacked me?" She stared to back away from James

James stood up and walked towards her. "No...Lily...you don't understand."

"No...you're right I don't understand. I don't know who you are anymore. I mean...first you recieve that package, and then...no, you want to know what I think James?"

"What...what do you think Lily?"

"I think that you're the deatheater. You're trying to frame Kate, aren't you?"

"Lily calm down...you don't know what you're saying."

"AREN'T YOU?" Lily screamed, she was freaking out now.

"Lily calm down."

"HOW CAN I?"

"Lily please I'm begging you."

"NO! JAMES I KNOW! OKAY I KNOW! I SAW YOU IN THAT ROOM IN THE LIBRARY!"

James stopped walking towards her. "You know?" He asked.

"I know..." Lily reached for her wand and pointed it towards him. "I know that you're trying to turn to the darkside...I saw that book..."

"No...Lily I'm not turning to the dark side."

"Then why were you in there?"

"I think it's time that I tell you everything...from the beginning. Please...sit down." James said.

Lily looked at him not sure if she should trust him or not.

"I won't hurt you." He said.

She backed towards the wall and slid down. Her body was almost lifeless as she sat on the floor. James came over and knelt down in front of her.

"You were right Lily...that night by the lake...I'm not who you think I am. I'm not the James you thought you knew, but I'm not evil like you thought either."

"Then what are you?"

"I'm in a society called the Order of the Phoenix. We were started about a year ago by Dumbledore. It's a secret society that was made to destroy Voldemort."

"How come I never heard of this?"

"Because we didn't believe you had enough experience."

"What do you mean? I have just as much experience as you."

"No...Lily you don't. Ever since I could walk I've been training to be an Auror. My father is an Auror."

"So tell me about that room...that book."

"Some people in the order are undercover as Death Eaters. The room was the library of one of these undercover spies. We use that book to communicate. He slips in a message for me, and I am able to retrieve it. And I know by the color of the package, and the way it's address to me which book, and which page to look on. That daythe page I tore out contained a family tree, the Riddle family tree. Voldemort had a twin sister, whom no one knew about. she was separated from him shortly after birth. She married a man named Browning and had Kate. After Kate's parents were killed he, sent a death eater to take after her and teach her. No one knew that she was in fact a death eater. She has powers that no other students at this school has. So last night..."

"what happened last night?" Lily asked.

"Well I needed proof that Kate was indeed a death eater, so I'm sorry Lily but...I used a polyjuice potion to transfer into you, I had to do some investigating to make sure that she didn't just have the same name as Voldemort's neice by any chance."

"You could have told me...I could have helped you out."

"Yes but...no one could know about the order...but now Lily we want you to join us."

"Join the Order?"

"Yes...Lily join the order...we'll defeat Voldemort together."

"Please Lily join us..." Dumbledore has come into the room.

Lily thought about it and nodded. "Whatever it takes to defeat him. I'll join."

James smiled and gave her a hug.

"I'm glad I know the truth now." Lily smiled. "But what about Kate? Why did she kill Robbie?"

"She wants the top students at this school to join her...but a muggle-born is no use to her." Dumbledore said.

"And that's why you're in danger." James said.

"James will accompany you." Said Dumbledore.

"Accompany me where?" Lily asked.

"To a place where you'll be safe." Said Dumbledore.

"Until we can catch Kate and all her followers, you wont be safe at this school. You'll have to go somewhere else for the time being." Dumbledore said.

James and Lily walked back to the common room to pack their things. James whispered in Lily's ear, "I'll always protect you...no matter what."


	28. Safely Out of Love

At midnight, James and Lily fled the school on his broom under the invisibility cloak. Lily clung on tight to his waist as she was not used to flying so much, and because she felt safe with him around. He felt her arms around him, and couldn't help having the feeling that everything in the world was right again.

In a matter of minutes, they arrived. It was a magical place indeed. The house was on an island in the middle of the lake, and the lake was surrounded on all sides by mountains. The source of water for the lake was a magnificent waterfall.

The house was magnificent as well. It had the old-world feel. Meditteranean style shingles on the roof, yellowish cracked clay walls, wrought ironbeams on the balconies. It waslike an italian villa,very beautiful, very romantic.

"What is this place?" Lily stood on the balcony looking at light from beyond the mountains and asked.

"Dumbledore had it built." Answered James. "It's hidden, like Hogwarts, but no one but members of the Order or their guests can get past those mountains. No one would be able to find it."

"It's beautiful." She said.

"And more importantly safe."

"I know but...I almost feel like I have a duty to stay at Hogwarts."

"And do what? Get killed?" James joked.

Lily laughed, and then said, "No, to help catch Kate and her followers. I mean I feel like it's my duty as head girl, and as a member of the order."

"Well don't worry, you'll have plenty of chances to do your duty later on, when you're not in any direct danger."

Lily smiled at him. He missed her smile.

Dawn was now approaching as the source of the light now slowly rised above the mountains.

"You must be wanting to get some sleep, you haven't slept all night." James said to Lily.

"No, I'm not tired." She said. "I'll walk around for a bit."

"I'll come with you."

"Aren't you tired?"

"No, I'm not tired either."

"Hey, let'sgo down to the waterfall." Lily suggested.

James found the boat and enchanted it to take them to the waterfall. The sat beside it and watched the sun come up.

"You never explained to me why you attacked me." Lily said, breaking an awkward silence."

"I used a polyjuice potion to turn into you." James said.

"Oh...I see." Lily said. "First and ONLY time you'll do that right?"

"Yes, of course." James said. He smiled at her, and she smiled back. "I only did it for information regarding death eaters."

"Good, good." Lily said.

"Because pretending to be someone else to get information for personal gain is...morally wrong." James said, knowing that Lily would say that.

She studied his face which had a sly smile on it and said, "Are you mocking me?"

"No...no...I'm not." James laughed.

Lily splashed some water at him and said "yes...yes you are."

James playfully splashed some back. "Okay maybe I am."

"James!" Lily laughed, getting ready to splash more water.

James started to run away from her, and she chased after him. They were laughing and having fun. James suddenly stopped and Lily didn't realize it. She ran into him and they both lost balance and fell into the lake.

Lily laughed and splashed more water at him. He laughed back. Then, Lily stopped laughing and started to float on the water, enjoying the serenity and peace of the sound of the waterfall. James dove under her and pulled her down.

"Hey!" Lily said, "I'm going to get you!"

"Try and catch me." James said as he swam out of the lake and onto dry land. He ran into a small cave right behind the waterfall, and Lily followed.

It was slippery inside the cave so when Lily ran in she almost slipped, but James caught her. He helped her stand up straight, but didn't let go of her. They looked into each other's eyes, and leaned towards each other.

"You can let go of me now." Lily whispered while still moving in towards James.

"What if I don't want to?" He whispered back and leaned in more to kiss her.

Lily didn't fight the kiss, she gave into it.

"So here we are." Said James. "Kissing behind a waterfall. It can't get more romantic."

"No...it can't." Lily replied, and kissed him again.

-- - - -

After dinner they sat on the couch in the grate room, and enjoyed the warm fire.

"James, listen, I've been thinking about that kiss." Lily said.

"What about it?"

"I don't think I should have let you, or given you that kiss."

"Why not?"

"Because, we'll just end up breaking up again, and I can't stand to do it again."

"Lily..."

"James listen to me. Everytime we're together I feel like, like nothing is going to ruin the mood that I'm in, and when we're apart I feel like that again, except its a bad mood that I'm in. I'm going on a rollercoaster and I can't get down with you. If we're apart for good then I can finally get off the rollercoaster."

"Lily I LIVE for the rollercoaster. I mean, when we're apart sure the feeling is terrible, but it's nothing compared to the feeling when I'm with you."

"But I can't. I'm confused about you, about my feelings for you. It gets in the way."

"Of what? What does it get in the way of."

"Of us doing our job protecting innocent people."

"You know...I'm confused about you also. I'm confused about why you always lead me on and then tell me you're no in love. I'm confused about how you have always acted like you hated me and then suddenly say to me that you don't at all. I'm confused at how you can give me such a kiss and then say you didn't mean it! And most of all...I'm confused about myself. When I see you, when I look into your eyes, when I see your smile, hear your voice, touch you, kiss you. I'm confused when I'm with you. Because I feel safe but unsafe at the same time. I feel happy but depressed. I feel like the biggest person in the world but I also feel so little at the same time. You make me want to sing out in joy and cry all at once. Lily I love you. Do you love me?"

"It doesn't matter how we feel about each other..."

"So you do love me?"

"It matters...how well we're able to do our jobs. I can't concentrate when I've just broken up with you. I just got over you a couple of days ago, please James...If we get together again, I'm going to get hurt again. You're just going to hurt me again."

"No...no I won't I promise you that."

"You said that the last time."

"But this time nothing will keep us apart!"

"That's what happened last time! What's going to keep us together this time?"

James knew she was right. "I don't know..."

"Well when you figure it out you can let me know. I'm going to bed now." Lily walked out of the room.

James didn't know what to do. If only he had his best friend with him.


	29. Proving It

"Sirius!" Said James as he opened the front door a week later to a familiar face. "What are you doing here?"

"I come bearing good news." Sirius dropped his bags and gave James a hug.

"Great, well I'll go get Lily and you can tell us together over breakfast." James said.

"Great I'm starving." Sirius sat down.

"Sirius! How great to see you." Lily gave Sirius a hug.

"Well I figured you'd be. After being with Potter for a week you must be dying to see a handsome face." Sirius joked.

Lily laughed and said "Oh I've missed you."

James and Lily sat down at the table while their breakfast magically appeared on their plates.

"So what's the good news?" Asked Lily.

"Well..." said Sirius. "You'll be glad to hear that Kate is now safely locked up in Azkaban Prison."

"That's wonderful news!" Said James.

"So that means we can go back now?" asked Lily.

"No, not yet." Sirius explained, "We suspect that there are a few more deatheaters at Hogwarts, just 2 or 3 though. Once we find them all you can come back."

After breakfast Lily went into her room to study for exams. James and Sirius talked on the balcony.

"Such a bookworm she is." Sirius said.

"Yeah..." James said.

"What's wrong?" Sirius could detect something in his voice that said all was not well.

"Nothing..."

"What happened in the past week?"

"Nothing. That's the problem. Nothing happened."

"Oh I'm sorry mate...so...it's really over between you two?"

"According to her."

"What do you think?"

"I know there's a way to make it work. Something that won't come between us."

"Your love is strong enough, I'm sure it is."

"Yes, I know, and I know she knows. But everytime something happens to break us apart.I mean the longest we've been together is what...a month?"

"I know what you mean. It's not enough to her that you're crazy about her?"

"I guess not."

"Does she know how much you love her?"

"Well I've told her..."

"Well there's your problem. You've told her but can she really believe you? You know how girls are."

"So what can I do?"

"You have to prove to her that she's the only girl for you."

"And how do I do that?"

"Just look inside your heart. You'll figure it out."

Sirius left James to think, and walked into Lily's room.

"Mind if I come in?" Sirius knocked.

"Of course not, come in. Sit." Lily said.

"So uh...how've you been?"

"Honestly...not so good." She closed her book.

"James cares for you deeply."

"So he says..."

"But he does."

"So then why does he keep secrets from me?"

"Well I mean, he has a right to keep secrets from you."

Lily gave him an 'excuse me' look.

"I mean...sure he has secrets, but they don't concern you, so you don't need to worry about it."

"Yes see thats the thing...you're right...he doesn't have a duty to tell me everything. That's whats bothering me. When we're boyfriend-girlfriend all these secrets seem to come out and it makes me mad that he hasn't told me. And then I realize that it's really none of my business, but I wan't it to be my business, but he doesn't tell me. And thats not the only thing..."

"What else?"

"Other girls...they swoon over James. I'll always have competition, especially since we're so easily broken up."

"James only has eyes for you, and he'll figure out a way to make it work. He will I promise you."

"Sirius, you're a good friend."

Sirius smiled.

"I mean it. I know I can always trust you."

"Thanks. Well, I'll leave you to your studying now."

"Bye."

Sirius walked onto the balcony next to a very distraught James. "So..."

"so?"

"I've just had a talk with Lily."

"What did she say?"

"Well, she wants no secrets, and no other girls."

"I can't help the secrets and the girls. I mean even if she was my girlfriend, I don't have to tell her everything."

"No...you don't have to tell your GIRLFRIEND everything." Sirius said as he walked away.

"Stop. What did you say?"

"She's only your GIRLFRIEND why is it her business what you do?"

"What's that supposed to mean."

"I mean. She has a right to know everything. If she's your girl she has to know what's going on in your life."

"Are you saying I'm a bad boyfriend."

"I'm saying that Lily deserves to know about your life. But she, like you, doesnt feel like she has any business knowing. But she deserves to know, you and I both know, Lily knows also." Sirius said. "Think about that."

"Don't you think I've been thinking about it?"

"James...you should be able to figure it out. If she's important enough to you then you'll figure out how to get her back. But..."

"But what..."

"You've gone through a lot of trouble for this girl."

"I know. But she's worth it."

"Is she the love of your life?"

"Yes."

"Is she the only girl for you?"

"Yes."

"Then prove it to her."


	30. Vowing to Love and Protect Forever

That night, Sirius dressed up in a butler costume and knocked on Lily's door.

"Sirius?" She laughed when she saw him.

"Yeah, yeah, I know."

"Whats going on?"

"Ah hem...Master James Potter asks for your company for dinner tonight."

"Oh that James...always doing this..." Lily laughed. "I'll be right out."

She put on a green dress and curled her long hair.

"Lily...you look beautiful." James said as he helped her into her chair at the table. He was dressed up as well.

"So what's the occasion?"

"Well...it's a locking-up party for Kate." He joked.

Lily laughed.

"A toast...to the beautiful Lily Evans."

Lily blushed and raised her class.

After dinner, James asked Lily to take a walk with him. They went back to the cavern where they had kissed a week ago. This time, it wasn't the dark and dirty cave. James filled it with candles.

"James...it's beautiful. But if you think this is going to get me back..."

"No...no...it's not a scheme to get you back. If it was then there would be some flowers and..." James joked. Lily laughed.

"But I do want to talk to you...about...what we talked about..."

"James...please...I told you, I don't want to be on that rollercoaster."

"I've figured out a way!"

"Really?"

"Yes."

"A way that we can be together with no secrets and no other girls?"

"Yes."

"I'm listening."

"Lily...you are the love of my life. Ever since the first day I saw you, I knew that you were the only girl for me. You're smart, and funny, and caring, and you're...you're beautiful. I've never felt this way about anyone ever before."

"Stop right there."

"What's wrong?"

"This is what you do."

"What?"

"You tell me all these wonderful things to trick me into getting back together with you. And then once we're together I find out there's more secrets you haven't been telling me." Lily jumped out and started to walk towards the boat. "I'm not going to fall for it."

"Lily wait...you didn't let me finish!" James chased after her.

"I know exactly what you're going to say. You're going to say. You're going to tell me that you'll do whatever it takes to make me happy."

"No...that's not what I was going to say."

"What were you going to say then?"

"I...Lily...I...You're right. I don't know what else to say. I just want to be with you again." He hesitated.

"Yeah I thought so..." She started to walk back. "And this time it'll last 5 weeks maybe?"

James had to do something to stop her from walking out of his life forever.

"MARRY ME!" He yelled. She stopped.

"What did you say?"

"Marry me Lily Evans...marry me."

"You're crazy!"

"Yes...crazy about you. I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

"James..."

"Think about it. It's perfect. We'll be together forever."

Lily thought about it. _He's right. If we're married he'll have no choice but to tell me everything because I won't just be the girlfriend...I'll be the wife. No girl can dare try to steal him then._

"Alright..." She started to cry and smile.

"Yes?" James was ecstatic.

"YES! I'll marry you!" She ran towards him and kissed him.

"I love you." He whispered.

"I love you too." She whispered back.

- - - - -

The held the ceremony just days later, with Sirius as the only witness. Lily and James looked into each other's eyes and knew that from now on, everything would be alright. Their love would be binding.

"James," Lily began her vows. "I knew that Hogwarts would change my life, but I never knew how much until I met you. You are the handsome stag roaming through my dreams, and the prince charming coming to take me to a wonderful place. A place filled with love. I've never felt this way about anyone else before, and I never will. I love you, with all my heart."

"Lily," James began his vows. "First we were enemies, now we stand before eachother as lovers. You keep me grounded, but takes me to heaven with your love. I will always love you, I will always protect you, no matter what. Nothing but death will come between us now."

And so he kissed the bride, and kept his promise. He did always love her, and he did always protect her. After all, he sacrificed his own life saving her's and the life of their young baby boy.

And the rest, is history...

THE END


End file.
